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)
Desai isn’t the only one. Day or night, dozens wait outside the office, which is only open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday to Friday. They don’t want to miss the chance to apply — fearing future travel changes amid tensions between India and Canada.
In September, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged the Indian government had involvement in the murder of Canadian Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. In response, the Indian government said its diplomats in Canada faced “security threats” and suspended visa services for Canadians and reduced staff in the country.
In a statement, the Indian Consulate confirmed “OCI applications are being accepted and processed as per normal.” But it won’t matter, Desai said, if she can’t get into the actual office to make an application.
She can’t line up overnight because she has to take care of her young kids. Already, she’s missed work three times in one week to join the queue even though Desai says she feels there’s “no chance” she’ll get to the front.
Lining up at dawn no guarantee
Last week, Edgar Xavier drove three hours from London to Brampton to submit his son’s OCI application. He’ll have to make the trip again next month.
That’s because the company the Indian government uses to process the applications, BLS International, only has two offices in Ontario: Brampton and Toronto.
Xavier says part of the stress of the process comes from the number of people who can’t get a visa anymore being added to the queue.
“The other part is the time and the work that it takes to get the application done,” he said. “The Indian government is asking for too many documents and their processing time is just too long.”