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Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI)

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rogerroger
Member of Standing
Posts: 479
Joined: Mon Jul 19, 2004 9:53 pm

Post by rogerroger » Sun Mar 16, 2008 2:38 pm

Hello,


My wife recently btained a british passport.

we are planning to go to india in mid-april. i think it will be a race against time applying for PIO or OIC.

what i thought was my wife can apply for PIO card and then same day apply for the indian visa. this way the PIO card will be in the process and we will get the visa the same day or the next. is this application of PIO and visa application the same day possible.

I dont remember handing in my british passport when i applied fof PIO? only remember having the corners cut of my indian passport

I have a PIO card and thinking about applying for an OIC card? Can one apply for OIC if one has a PIO card? is there any advantage in applying for OIC

does one need to submit ones british passport when applying for OIC?

merc08
Newly Registered
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2008 6:23 pm

Re: OCI

Post by merc08 » Tue Mar 25, 2008 7:16 pm

Friend wrote:
suza321 wrote:Folks

Was completely unaware of this forum until friend of mine suggested. I am in process
of applying for OCI but I have a prob.I never knew that u need to get Indian Passport cancelled after getting the B citizenship.unfortunatetly I travelled once on this.

What do I do now?? I will get it cancelled ASAP but will this create a prob
for getting my OCI.Again i have a offer from good company back home I wish to take it and join by feb.

Looking at my overall situation how do u all suggest me to go about it.
Friend said easier option is to get work visa and apply for OCI form India.
How long does it take to get a work visa and what are documents to submit it.
searched all threads but no valid answer on the same this type of situtaion..

even if i apply for OCI i would need to collect it in person ..so if i am back home then will they post it back home? again i should get it in one months time...what if it gets rejected

pl help me .

su
I am in a similar situation having travelled on the Indian passport after getting British nationality. Silly me! Any one with similar experience and applied for OCI?

Thanks
I too have done the same unfortunately....can somebody help me with their experiences on applying for OCI after having travelled on the indian passport? Did the high commission guys question this in the OCI process? Any advice/suggestions in this matter would be greatly appreciated!

Friend
Newbie
Posts: 36
Joined: Sat Dec 15, 2001 1:01 am
Location: uk

Re: OCI

Post by Friend » Tue Mar 25, 2008 7:43 pm

merc08 wrote:
Friend wrote:
suza321 wrote:Folks

Was completely unaware of this forum until friend of mine suggested. I am in process
of applying for OCI but I have a prob.I never knew that u need to get Indian Passport cancelled after getting the B citizenship.unfortunatetly I travelled once on this.

What do I do now?? I will get it cancelled ASAP but will this create a prob
for getting my OCI.Again i have a offer from good company back home I wish to take it and join by feb.

Looking at my overall situation how do u all suggest me to go about it.
Friend said easier option is to get work visa and apply for OCI form India.
How long does it take to get a work visa and what are documents to submit it.
searched all threads but no valid answer on the same this type of situtaion..

even if i apply for OCI i would need to collect it in person ..so if i am back home then will they post it back home? again i should get it in one months time...what if it gets rejected

pl help me .

su
I am in a similar situation having travelled on the Indian passport after getting British nationality. Silly me! Any one with similar experience and applied for OCI?

Thanks
I too have done the same unfortunately....can somebody help me with their experiences on applying for OCI after having travelled on the indian passport? Did the high commission guys question this in the OCI process? Any advice/suggestions in this matter would be greatly appreciated!
I have successfully applied and received OCI without any problems and without using any intermediaries like a solicitor. I also know of others in similar situation who have got the OCI.

I applied by post to HCI London. Just filled the application form in the webpage and answered all questions truthfully. This was May-June 2007.

Hope this helps

agganesh
Newly Registered
Posts: 26
Joined: Mon Mar 15, 2004 11:50 am

Acknowledgement

Post by agganesh » Thu Mar 27, 2008 4:29 pm

Hello everybody,

Do you know how long it will take for Indian high commision send out the acknowledgement letter ( do they send out one) ?

How long the whole process take?

I sent my application 10 days back but I haven't got any letter from them. Their london website says they won't send any communication but the application form says I will receive a letter from them. Also the online status screen asks ack. number so I assume they will send out a letter with a reference number.

The online status check website is crap. You can enter any number and it says the standard message "This number is not yet acknowledged"!

Anybody out there who applied for OCI recently?

Cheers,
Ganesh

maveli62
Junior Member
Posts: 90
Joined: Sun Apr 29, 2007 8:44 am

Post by maveli62 » Fri Mar 28, 2008 8:57 am

I didn't get any acknowledgement from the. For me it took 5 weeks. You don't need the ack. No to see the online status, you can use the online reg.no.

You said it is a crap web site, but can you show me a website for any other country which will show the progress of the visa/passport application. This site is the best out there in this category. I thought people will appreciate the OCI web site after what they experienced with Home office.
Hello everybody,

Do you know how long it will take for Indian high commision send out the acknowledgement letter ( do they send out one) ?

How long the whole process take?

I sent my application 10 days back but I haven't got any letter from them. Their london website says they won't send any communication but the application form says I will receive a letter from them. Also the online status screen asks ack. number so I assume they will send out a letter with a reference number.

The online status check website is crap. You can enter any number and it says the standard message "This number is not yet acknowledged"!

Anybody out there who applied for OCI recently?

Cheers,
Ganesh

agganesh
Newly Registered
Posts: 26
Joined: Mon Mar 15, 2004 11:50 am

Post by agganesh » Fri Mar 28, 2008 4:16 pm

maveli62 wrote:I didn't get any acknowledgement from the. For me it took 5 weeks. You don't need the ack. No to see the online status, you can use the online reg.no.

You said it is a crap web site, but can you show me a website for any other country which will show the progress of the visa/passport application. This site is the best out there in this category. I thought people will appreciate the OCI web site after what they experienced with Home office.
Hello everybody,

Do you know how long it will take for Indian high commision send out the acknowledgement letter ( do they send out one) ?

How long the whole process take?

I sent my application 10 days back but I haven't got any letter from them. Their london website says they won't send any communication but the application form says I will receive a letter from them. Also the online status screen asks ack. number so I assume they will send out a letter with a reference number.

The online status check website is crap. You can enter any number and it says the standard message "This number is not yet acknowledged"!

Anybody out there who applied for OCI recently?

Cheers,
Ganesh

Thanks maveli62.

Please can you also tell me after how many days you started seeing the progress of your application online? I sent it 10 days back but the online status says the number is not yet acknowledged.

I said the website was crap because it accepts any number and throws out the same message. When a random number is entered it should tell the number is invalid so that the users will get some confidence on the website. The digital certificate which ensures the website's authenticity is also expired. We will never know if we are accessing genuine government website or a "hacked" one.

In the registeration screen it says if there is any problem contact shettybn@nic.in. Who is BN Shetty? It doesn't convey any professionalism. It suggests that all enquiry dealt by a single person not by a department.

I know British passport website gives you "online" status for the passport applications. Because of the Data protection act, it doesn't give the information immediately but you will get prompt reply within 24 hours.

I am expecting a service for the money I pay. Thats all!

Cheers mate.

TinTinTin
Junior Member
Posts: 72
Joined: Tue Jul 10, 2007 9:16 pm
Location: London

Post by TinTinTin » Wed Apr 02, 2008 4:11 pm

We were all patient for years to get ILR, Citizenship and now its OCI's turn. Be patient and we can't expect wonders to happen overnight in HCI website ?.. We'll hope to get the level of service for the £ we pay..but we need to be little practical here ;-)

thirdwave
Member of Standing
Posts: 381
Joined: Wed Feb 14, 2007 11:17 pm

Post by thirdwave » Mon Apr 07, 2008 11:25 am

Guys, do they send your British Passport back once you apply for OCI or do they keep it until the process is over? It sounds like the process takes a fairly long time and I am hoping to travel in the May-June..

maveli62
Junior Member
Posts: 90
Joined: Sun Apr 29, 2007 8:44 am

Post by maveli62 » Mon Apr 07, 2008 12:55 pm

You don't send your British Passport at the time of applying for OCI. You send it only when it is granted.

agganesh
Newly Registered
Posts: 26
Joined: Mon Mar 15, 2004 11:50 am

Still no response

Post by agganesh » Tue Apr 08, 2008 9:41 am

I sent my application 4 weeks ago and still my application is not acknowledged as of the online status. I also sent my Indian passport to cancel along with the application and haven't got them back yet.

singhji
Newly Registered
Posts: 13
Joined: Fri Jul 20, 2007 8:11 pm

Post by singhji » Tue Apr 15, 2008 6:13 pm

...and what checks they carry out???...I sent my birth certificate along with my mums indian cancelled passport and they told me they could not do it???...........because they said the documents failed the check

ajayjain
Newbie
Posts: 34
Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2007 4:43 pm

OCI

Post by ajayjain » Tue Apr 15, 2008 8:05 pm

Guys A quick question

I do not want to take OCI and do not want to cancel my Indian passport.

if I use my Indian passport only when I travel to India and
rest I use my British passport

is it possible ? does british govt. pass the infomations to indian govt.
when an indian takes the british citizenship.
or
UK custom will know that I am holding British passport and would like to see that when I am back in UK.

maveli62
Junior Member
Posts: 90
Joined: Sun Apr 29, 2007 8:44 am

Re: OCI

Post by maveli62 » Wed Apr 16, 2008 9:14 am

ajayjain wrote:Guys A quick question

I do not want to take OCI and do not want to cancel my Indian passport.

if I use my Indian passport only when I travel to India and
rest I use my British passport

is it possible ? does british govt. pass the infomations to indian govt.
when an indian takes the british citizenship.
or
UK custom will know that I am holding British passport and would like to see that when I am back in UK.
With the new rules for airlines, they are supposed give the details (including passport details) of passengers to the landing airport. So if you used your British passport to fly out and the Indian port cross verifies the list then you are straight away going to land in one of the Indian jails. Normally they don't cross verify, but who knows the bad luck day

ajayjain
Newbie
Posts: 34
Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2007 4:43 pm

BC

Post by ajayjain » Sat Apr 19, 2008 8:47 pm

Thanks Maveli,

I am taking OCI, just wanted to know until I get OCI
can I travel or not.

Friend
Newbie
Posts: 36
Joined: Sat Dec 15, 2001 1:01 am
Location: uk

Re: BC

Post by Friend » Sun Apr 20, 2008 8:47 am

ajayjain wrote:Thanks Maveli,

I am taking OCI, just wanted to know until I get OCI
can I travel or not.
If you travel to India before you get your OCI, you need to get a visa on your British passport

agganesh
Newly Registered
Posts: 26
Joined: Mon Mar 15, 2004 11:50 am

Re: Still no response

Post by agganesh » Tue Apr 29, 2008 11:50 am

agganesh wrote:I sent my application 4 weeks ago and still my application is not acknowledged as of the online status. I also sent my Indian passport to cancel along with the application and haven't got them back yet.
I haven't got my cancelled passports back yet. I sent a request letter but no reply yet. I don't know what is the effective way to communicate to Indian consulate. I have tried online message also. The OCI online status is still same (Application number is not yet acknowledged) after 8 weeks. Is anyone having difficulty with the consulate like me?

vijikrish
Newly Registered
Posts: 16
Joined: Mon Apr 03, 2006 12:44 pm

Post by vijikrish » Thu May 01, 2008 12:11 pm

Hi Ganesh,

I am in the same state but I posted my application only on the 16th of April but have not received any acknowledgment as yet. How long do they normally take to process OCI? I haven't received my cancelled passports as well. Do write a post when you do receive some communication from the HCI.

Thanks.

sams
Junior Member
Posts: 54
Joined: Thu Mar 16, 2006 10:19 pm

Old Passport lost, applying for naturalisation with new pass

Post by sams » Thu May 01, 2008 4:42 pm

I have an appointment in NCS to apply for naturalisation on Tuesday.
My old passport was lost, so I only have new passport (which was issued 2 years ago) with ILR stamp.

I am taking my new passport and photocopy of old passport (as it was lost) for evidence of lawful residence for past 5 years (Requirement ‘Section 3’ in application form)

I am bit worried whether they can create a problem regarding photocopy of old passport, as they required original documents for evidence.

I wondered if anyone has gone through same situation like me, while applying for naturalisation.

I would greatly appreciate any suggestion from experienced users of this forum.

ishameeque
Newbie
Posts: 48
Joined: Mon Jun 17, 2002 1:01 am
Location: United Kingdom

Post by ishameeque » Thu May 01, 2008 10:04 pm

Hello Guys,
My OCI application was acknowleged on the 14/3/08, photo scanned 25/3/08, but the status is still under process. More than 6 weeks now. Not sure how much longer it is going to take. Does it usually take this long?. 'i applied at London high commission.

The US embassies seem to grant the OCI quickly usually in 2 weeks. Pretty confused on how this works. Any ideas anyone?

agganesh
Newly Registered
Posts: 26
Joined: Mon Mar 15, 2004 11:50 am

Post by agganesh » Thu May 08, 2008 12:13 pm

vijikrish wrote:Hi Ganesh,

I am in the same state but I posted my application only on the 16th of April but have not received any acknowledgment as yet. How long do they normally take to process OCI? I haven't received my cancelled passports as well. Do write a post when you do receive some communication from the HCI.

Thanks.
Hi Vijikrish,

I have received the (cancelled) passports back from Indian consulate. They took almost 8 weeks to open the envelope and cancel the passports! Also they sent the OCI application to India at the same time. Now I can see the status on online. As the website states I hope I will get the OCI sticker around first week of June.

ukwannabe
Newly Registered
Posts: 12
Joined: Thu Nov 15, 2007 3:11 pm

oci waiting time

Post by ukwannabe » Thu May 15, 2008 4:12 pm

Just to add that I posted an application by next day special delivery for OCI status on 23/04/2008 and today they acknowledged it on the OCI site i.e 15/05/2008. 3 weeks to acknowledge a letter. I wonder whether it has anything to do with me not clearly mentioning it on top of the envelope ? Letter going to wrong person/section as it usually happens in indian muncipality/village offices and then take a detour to right section ??
:-)

Best

agganesh
Newly Registered
Posts: 26
Joined: Mon Mar 15, 2004 11:50 am

Re: oci waiting time

Post by agganesh » Mon May 19, 2008 11:56 am

ukwannabe wrote:Just to add that I posted an application by next day special delivery for OCI status on 23/04/2008 and today they acknowledged it on the OCI site i.e 15/05/2008. 3 weeks to acknowledge a letter. I wonder whether it has anything to do with me not clearly mentioning it on top of the envelope ? Letter going to wrong person/section as it usually happens in indian muncipality/village offices and then take a detour to right section ??
:-)

Best
Come on!
You should feel you are so lucky!
In my case they took 8 weeks just to cancel the passports. There are some thing in the world will never change and Indian government offices one of them (but I really admire the Indian consulate's visa surgery plan).

fakira
- thin ice -
Posts: 63
Joined: Sun Aug 26, 2007 4:05 pm

oci timeline at jaisalmer house ,mansingh road new delhi

Post by fakira » Mon May 26, 2008 12:05 pm

i sent my application on 3/5/2008 from goa to new delhi.they acknowledged receipt on 22/5/2008
i met the officials at new delhi on 2/6/2008
i was granted and signatute scanned on the SAME day and my documents printed
the documents were dispatched from delhi on 5/6/2008.they were received at MHA ON 1/7/2008
the queue starts at 7.30 in the morning althogh the office opens at around 9.30
Last edited by fakira on Tue Jul 01, 2008 10:31 am, edited 1 time in total.
i let out a lot of steam on this forum.cooled down after citizenship

vijikrish
Newly Registered
Posts: 16
Joined: Mon Apr 03, 2006 12:44 pm

Post by vijikrish » Thu Jun 12, 2008 9:40 am

agganesh wrote:
vijikrish wrote:Hi Ganesh,

I am in the same state but I posted my application only on the 16th of April but have not received any acknowledgment as yet. How long do they normally take to process OCI? I haven't received my cancelled passports as well. Do write a post when you do receive some communication from the HCI.

Thanks.
Hi Vijikrish,

I have received the (cancelled) passports back from Indian consulate. They took almost 8 weeks to open the envelope and cancel the passports! Also they sent the OCI application to India at the same time. Now I can see the status on online. As the website states I hope I will get the OCI sticker around first week of June.
Ganesh did you get your passport stamped yet. My status has changed now to GRANTED but not yet been depatched to UK. Hopefully I should get them end of this week!
What do we do once the documets reach London. Can I just send my passport over with a cover letter asking them to endorse or do I need to go in person? how long does it take for the passports to be sent back from the embassy. Any ideas/suggestions anyone.

desperado
Member
Posts: 104
Joined: Thu Dec 11, 2003 1:01 am

Post by desperado » Mon Jun 16, 2008 11:15 am

I'm going to India for two weeks holiday. Can I apply for OIC directly in india? or do I have to apply for it only here in the UK?

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