(CNN) – India has suspended the issuance of visas to Canadian citizens, according to an official statement released to Indian stock exchanges on Thursday by BLS International, a private company that works with the Indian High Commission and consulates in Canada to process visa applications.

BLS International sent a letter on the Mumbai Stock Exchange, the National Stock Exchange of India and the Metropolitan Stock Exchange of India, titled “Negligible financial impact following latest announcement in Canada”.

The letter said: “For operational reasons, with immediate effect i.e. September 21, 2023, Indian visa services to Canada have been suspended until further notice. The impact of this measure is negligible on our finances, since Canadian visa issuance activities contribute less than 2% of BLS International's total annual revenues.

The letter ended with: “You are asked to include this in your records. »

The company's stock prices were down more than 2.4% as of 3:30 p.m. local time.

Earlier in the day, a notice on the website of BLS International, a private company that works with the Indian High Commission and consulates in Canada to process visa applications, said: “For operational reasons…the Indian visa services have been suspended until further notice. »

The notice was later withdrawn and re-published, leading to a lack of clarity on India's position, and followed allegations made by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau linking New Delhi to the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist activist, on Canadian soil. .