The Indian visa office in Brampton has witnessed unprecedented lines as Indian-born Canadians and their families queue up day and night, vying for a piece of government ID, the Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) card, that will permit them to travel to India.
According to CBC News, with the festive season around the corner, and the recent suspension of visa services for Canadians by India last month, many are faced with uncertainty about their travel plans. This has led to a surge in applicants for the OCI card, a coveted document that grants cardholders the right to visit India and stay for as long as they like, as many times as they want, throughout their lives.
At a plaza in Brampton’s Northwest area, hopeful applicants could be seen outside the OCI office in a line that stretched out of sight, with people sleeping in their cars, napping on chairs, and sharing food and conversation with one another.
“It’s a panic situation,” said Vidhi Desai, who booked a surgery in India due to long wait times in Ontario. She expressed doubt about receiving her documents in time.
Day or night, dozens wait outside the office, which operates from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday to Friday, with fears of future travel restrictions amidst growing tensions between India and Canada.
In September, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged Indian government involvement in the murder of Canadian Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. In response, India claimed its diplomats in Canada faced “security threats” and subsequently suspended visa services for Canadians, reducing its diplomatic staff in the country.
People line up outside the BLS international office in Brampton at midnight. Some say they haven’t left their spot in the queue for hours. (Saloni Bhugra/CBC)
In a statement, the Indian Consulate confirmed, “OCI applications are being accepted and processed as per normal.”
Last week, Edgar Xavier drove three hours from London to Brampton to submit his son’s OCI application and will have to repeat the trip next month. With only two offices in Ontario, Brampton and Toronto, BLS International, the company tasked with processing the applications, is overwhelmed.
“The Indian government is asking for too many documents and their processing time is just too long,” complained Xavier.
Processing times for OCI applications range from six to eight weeks, as per an executive agent at BLS International. He added that they are currently booking appointments for November, and advised against booking plane tickets before receiving the visa.
Pratik Verman, another applicant, shared his ordeal of missing three days of work in hopes of reaching the front of the line.
“I started waiting at 4 a.m. and couldn’t get in,” said Verman, who also expressed concerns about people waiting in the cold as winter approaches.
Some, like Jaswinder Ghuman and her elderly father-in-law, who have tickets booked for October 22nd, have resorted to taking turns overnight to reserve a spot. Ghuman shared her distress at watching elderly individuals waiting outside for hours.
After waiting for 23 hours, Richard Patel and his friends didn’t make it to the front of the line and had to resort to sleeping outside the office, hoping to improve their odds for the next day.
“It’s not fair for us,” Patel said, suggesting that BLS International should hand out tokens and establish cut-off times to prevent people from wasting time.
