Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to reduce staff in India

Ottawa, October 19, 2023— Following India's intent to unilaterally remove immunities for all but 21 Canadian diplomats and dependents in Delhi by October 20, 2023, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is reducing its number of employees in India from 27 to 5. IRCC will continue to accept and process applications from India, but reduced staffing levels are expected to impact processing times.

The large majority of applications from India are already processed outside the country, with 89% of India’s applications processed through the global network. The 5 Canada-based IRCC staff who remain in India will focus on work that requires an in-country presence such as urgent processing, visa printing, risk assessment and overseeing key partners.

Clients from India can expect to see some delays over the next few months. This includes delays in

• overall processing times
• responses to their enquiries
• getting their visas or passports returned

Canada has a strong connection with Indian citizens, and will continue to welcome them, whether they wish to come here to visit, work, study, be reunited with loved ones, or live permanently in the country.