India, Nov. 4 -- Authorities in Canada are seeking powers to clamp down on applications of a group of visa holders, with internal documents singling out India and Bangladesh over "country-specific challenges".

While Canada's immigration minister Lena Diab has publicly acknowledged that Ottawa is seeking such powers to use during "pandemic or war situations", an internal document cited by CBC News states that such powers could also be used for "country-specific visa holders. It lists India and Bangladesh for the challenges.

Here is why India was singled out by Canada:

According to the internal document cited in the CBC News report, asylum claims from Indian nationals increased from fewer than 500 a month in May 2023 to about 2,000 by Ju...