Resume visas for PIOs in Canada, MP Vikramjit Singh Sahney urges MEA

New Delhi, October 16

Rajya Sabha MP Vikramjit Singh Sahney on Monday requested External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to resume visa services for Canadian citizens of Indian origin who do not have the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards.

Sahney said he had received numerous requests from the Indian diaspora, especially Punjabis, regarding their inability to get Indian visa even for serious illness of their parents, attending family marriages and other exigencies. “Every second home in Punjab has one or other family member in Canada,” Sahney said.

He spoke to Sanjay Kumar Verma, Indian High Commissioner in Canada, who said they can consider emergency visas only for death cases.