New Delhi: The escalation of diplomatic row between India and Canada has already begun to worry a number of Indians, including students, who head to the North American country every year.Educational consultancies working with students in India are of the view that the ongoing diplomatic spat between the two countries would further add a layer of complication to an already difficult immigration process. Despite the fact that Canada is the second most preferred destination for Indian students overseas, it has tightened its visa rules after the COVID-19 pandemic.Companies with tie-ups with offices in Canada are equally worried that there would be a heightened level of scrutiny of applications from states such as Punjab and Haryana, making it increasingly difficult for immigrant visa applications to be successful.“This will show up in the visa approvals in the long term. The success ratio of student visas for Canada is just 60% and may come down further. Students focusing on just Canada need to keep other options,” LiveMint quoted Ankur Dhawan, president of upGrad Abroad, as saying.More than students, it is those Indians applying for immigrant visas who might have to face the worst in the wake of the present crisis in India-Canada bilateral ties. “Immigration visas will be a larger concern than student visas. Canadian authorities increased their scrutiny over the last year on applicants’ documents, and now that will increase,” said Ankit Mehra, co-founder and chief executive of GyanDhan, a non-banking financial company (NBFC).The NBFC representative further said they have seen a three-fold rise in loan applications from those preferring to move abroad for good in the last two years, 2021-23. However, the state of Punjab has seen a fivefold increase since 2021. Outside of Punjab, most Punjabis live in Canada.Most Indians who prefer Canada explore work options in entry-level jobs and mid-level positions in a range of fields, including retail, business services, and manufacturing. On the other hand, students take higher education courses in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), as well as medical courses.“Immigration visas may get restricted since the Canadian government over the last few years has stressed that they prefer students to come in, acclimatise into the ecosystem and then settle down. Some of the Indian states will see more scrutiny now,” said Akshay Chaturvedi, founder and chief executive of Leverage Edu, which ties up with banks and NBFCs to help students who go abroad.While many hope that the Canadian government may not immediately bring in any curbs on visas, particularly for students, there is a fear that the escalation of hostilities, however, could make it an eventuality.Ever since Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged a possible Indian government link in the killing of their citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar, both countries responded by expelling each other’s diplomats. While India dismissed the charge, Canada said it would seek the support of allies, including the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, to pursue the matter against India at a global level.