Indian IT professionals are facing visa problem not only in the US, but also

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in the neighbouring Canada.

The issue was taken up between by the Indian and Canadian trade ministers here today.

Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said at a meeting with the Canadian Minister of International Trade and Asia-Pacific, Gateway Edward Fast "to sensitise the Canadian authorities to remove impediments to the movement of IT professionals from India to Canada".

Fast, however, said that his government had recently changed policy, under which multiple entry visas are being given.

India is currently the second largest source of immigrants to Canada, with a rapidly growing Indo-Canadian community estimated at one million.

In 2009 alone, Canada issued Indian nationals 145,835 visas. Of those, 31,090 were permanent resident visas, 6,964 related to studies, 98,545 were temporary resident and 9,235 were temporary work permits.

Yesterday, Sharma also raised the visa issue with US Trade Representative Ron Kirk in Washington.