TORONTO
The Indian diaspora south of the border are thrilled with the new Tourist Visa on Arrival program. The US is on the list of 43 countries, Canada is not. Naturally then, Canadian passport holders of Indian origin are disappointed. 
So how exactly does this Tourist Visa work. It is valid for 30-and are for the purpose of “recreation, sightseeing, short duration medical treatment, casual business visit, or casual visit to meet friends and relatives” only and can be issued up to two times a year per person.
While the program is called “visa on arrival,” tourists are required to apply online at least four days before they are set to arrive in India. Applicants must submit a photo, a copy of their passport and a $60 fee. Once approved, they receive an “electronic travel authorization” email that they should print and present with their passport upon arrival. The visas are good for entry at nine international airports: Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Goa.
Until now, India only issued visas on arrival to visitors from 12 countries. Most visitors had to submit applications at visa processing centers and then wait several weeks before learning whether their visas were approved.
Thanks to the hassle tourists have to get visas to India, tourism has suffered. In 2012, there were 6.58 million visitors to India, fewer than other Asian countries such as Thailand and Malaysia, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged to make tourism a significant driver of economic growth. The new system is aimed at sending “out a clear message that India is serious about making travel to the country easy,” Mahesh Sharma, the country’s tourism minister, said in a statement.
A large number of so-called tourists to India are actually NRIs who travel on average of once every year or every other year. Anju Rajan, who recently visited India with her husband said that it would’ve been very convenient to just apply online and have the visa stamped on arrival in India. “It would be less of a problem of going to the visa office and losing half or a full day just to get a visa,” she said.
Other South Asians in the GTA hoped that India would approve of Canada on the list anytime soon. “Just for the sake of some bad apples who are openly anti-India all of us have to suffer. Why don’t they not just put those people on a list where they have to apply for visas in person and let the rest of us get it on arrival?” asked one irate South Asian living in Mississauga.
In a statement on the issue Azad Kaushik, President of Overseas Friends of the BJP OFBJP said, “We would make every effort to influence the Indian government to include Canadians in visa on arrival scheme similar to other countries. Unfortunately, it is necessary for our community to change the perception that still exits with regard to terrorism (Air India bombing) that originated from Canada, as it hurts all the law abiding Canadians of Indian origin. As a community we need to help make a change to move forward in the 21st century world.”
