Some media reports also claimed that local agents had sent several such families to the United States via Canada and some of the families went missing during illegal border-crossing.
Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a Pakistan-born Canadian national and close associate of David Coleman Headley, is set to be extradited to India from the US. Rana was involved in the planning and execution of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, which killed 166 people, including six Americans. He assisted Headley in obtaining a visa for India, established a front company in Mumbai, and helped in reconnaissance of targets in Mumbai and New Delhi. Rana was convicted in the US for providing material support to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and sentenced to 14 years in prison. His extradition to India will allow authorities to question him about his involvement in the Mumbai attacks and potentially uncover new information about the role of Pakistani state actors.
Canadian minister of state for foreign affairs, Peter Kent discusses Canada and India with rediff.com's Ajit Jain
Trump spoke approvingly of his recent telephone conversation with Xi Jinping. This could indicate the possibility of America and China reaching some level of tactical accommodation, which would not be good news for India, points out Ambassador Shyam Saran, a former foreign secretary.
In the weeks between his phenomenal electoral victory and swearing-in as the 47th president of the United States, the world got a preview of what a second Donald Trump presidency will entail -- both for itself and America.
As the US gets tougher with visas, the prayers of US-bound devotees in India are getting more fervent, and their purse strings looser. Called Visa Hanuman temples (there are half a dozen all over India), some of them ask for a 'fee'.
We have entered a new era in human history, asserts Aakar Patel.
Over 100 Indian immigrants, including 33 each from Haryana and Gujarat, 30 from Punjab, and several from other states, were deported from the US after undertaking perilous journeys filled with extortion and hardship. The returnees landed in Amritsar in a US military plane and are now back home, facing huge debts and emotional trauma. Many of them were lured by promises of a better life in the US but fell victim to human trafficking and extortion rings. The families of the deportees are demanding strict action against the travel agents who facilitated their illegal journeys.
Aditya Mhatre shares some practical and actionable tips to save money and focus on what matters most when you are studying abroad
Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a key accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, was brought to India on Thursday after being "successfully extradited " from the US, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) said. The 64-year-old Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin landed in Delhi in a special plane on Thursday evening, ending days of speculation of when and how he will be extradited, officials said. The NIA said in a statement that it had secured the successful extradition after years of sustained and concerted efforts to bring to justice the key conspirator behind the 2008 mayhem that claimed 166 lives. Rana is accused of conspiring with David Coleman Headley alias Daood Gilani, and operatives of designated terrorist organisations Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Harkat-ul-Jihadi Islami (HUJI) along with other Pakistan-based co-conspirators, to carry out the the three-day terror siege of India's financial capital.
The countries offering visa-on-arrival service to Indian nationals have been exploited as 'Donkey Routes' by agents for people who endeavour to reach the United States and Canada.
A gang of illegal immigration agents, which had kidnapped 15 Gujarat residents, allegedly held some of them at gun-point and even took away a minor girl from her mother in a bid to extort money, the victims have revealed.
Donald Trump is catering to the basest fears and prejudice of unenlightened Americans -- yes, there are those too, in sizeable enough numbers to elect one of their own as president. That would most certainly not Make America Great Again, asserts Shreekant Sambrani.
A special Indian team is camping in Manitoba to assist ongoing investigations by Canadian agencies and to render any consular services for the victims.
Though lawyers say compulsory English language tests for immigration flout laws, immigrants have little choice, reports Ajit Jain
Unless something changes, Mr Trump is a huge threat right now, which is perhaps not being recognised fully, cautions Debashis Basu.
Details of the Trump's executive order were not immediately known.
In 2010, Canada welcomed the highest number of permanent residents in 50 years, Jason Kenney, minister of citizenship, immigration and multiculturalism, announced on February 13.
Anmol Bishnoi, the younger brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, has been arrested by US law enforcement authorities in Iowa. He is wanted in connection with several criminal cases in India, including the murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique and the firing outside actor Salman Khan's Mumbai home.
In the volatile international situation where 'nativism' is on the rise and immigrant communities are being targeted, the Leader of the Opposition's statement is like adding fuel to fire. If the Indian diaspora numbering 4 crores is threatened it will constitute a grave threat to national security, warns Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
All three agreed to have the proceedings heard in English and each of them nodded that they understood the charges of first-degree murder and conspiring to murder Nijjar, the report said.
The Japanese steamship Komagata Maru, carrying 376 immigrants, mostly Sikhs, from India was denied entry by the Canadian government in May 1914 and was forced to return to India.
Toronto immigration lawyer Ravi Jain, who has been a vocal critic of non-lawyers being allowed to advise people about immigration, is pleased at the federal government's decision to create the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council."We don't have enough details yet, but I am somewhat encouraged with this move because I think there will be pressure to ensure that this new regulatory body for non-lawyer immigration consultants has some teeth," he said.
Designated terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the founder of the banned Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), has released a new video asking Sikhs not to fly in Air India aircraft after November 19, as their lives can be under threat.
The immigration reform proposals significantly increase the quota for skilled workers from existing nearly 12 per cent to 57 per cent.
President-elect Donald Trump urged his supporters to donate to Democrats to help them overcome the 'financial strain' in the aftermath of the general elections.
Kash Patel, President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the FBI, told lawmakers that he has faced racism while growing up. During his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Patel said he had been subjected to threats after his personal information was released by Congress. Patel said he was called a "detestable sand nigger" and told to "go back to where you came from." He said his family members, including his father and mother, were present at Capitol Hill during the hearing. Patel said his father fled Idi Amin's genocidal dictatorship in Uganda, where 300,000 men, women and children were killed based on their ethnicity. He said his mother is originally from Tanzania. Patel said he believes that people who put politics and personal ambition over service to the country should be named and that Americans deserve transparency.
Modi lived up to his declaration that his visit was purely meant to strengthen India's relationship with the US, but there may be situations in which our silence on some issues will haunt us in the future, cautions Ambassador T P Sreenivasan.
'When compared to many of America's treaty allies in Asia, Modi 3.0 is on a much stronger footing.'
A peace keeping role for India is a distinct possibility. Indian military has both the numbers and experience to carry out this job, observes Colonel Anil A Athale (Retd).
In his position as Parliamentary Secretary to Foreign Affairs Minister, he's asking members of the South Asian community to consider applying to Canada.
'There's a lot of confusion. It started because the President's tweet was all-encompassing.' 'It has been watered down over the last few days though to more narrow classes of immigrants.'
'He is the key to unravel the 26/11 conspiracy.'
As of now, about 66 per cent of the green cards are given to those with family ties and only 12 per cent are based on skills.
Former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief A S Dulat Tuesday said Canada expelling an Indian diplomat after claiming that New Delhi was potentially linked to the killing of a Khalistani extremist will have a bearing on bilateral relations.
A widower for the last three years, 55-year-old Singh claims he married 36-year-old Ranjit in front of 150 people in India after courtship and applied for her to join him in Canada as soon as he returned.\n\n
Kamala's role as vice president was more than just symbolic. Unlike her predecessors, she wielded considerable power during Biden's presidency.
Canada's Citizenship and Immigration Minister Diane Finley will be leaving for New Delhi on October 31 to spend a week there to assess Canadian immigration operations in India.
