Hello everyone! I wanted to share my experience with the OCI application process at BLS Mississauga and get some guidance on the pickup process.
Date: November 6, 2024
Location: BLS Mississauga
We booked our appointment a week in advance through the BLS website and completed all the necessary paperwork. We found the YouTube channel *Canada Tried and Tested* very helpful.
A Few Tips to Keep in Mind:
1.
Employment Letter: Ensure your employment letter includes a clear address. The agent was particular about this detail. Ours included it, and she seemed disappointed not to find any issues.
2.
New Voter ID Declaration: Make sure to have this declaration printed, signed, and uploaded to the OCI portal. There’s no specific upload section for this, so just use any available document header and upload it there. The agent initially insisted I pay to re-upload it, but I managed to upload it on-site and took responsibility for any risk.
3.
Courier Service: We declined the BLS courier service (over $60) and noticed the agent seemed unhappy with our choice. She tried persuading us by emphasizing the inconvenience of picking it up in person, She placed arguements like, it's first come first serve basis. You have to stand in line. It's only open for 1 hour per day, but we politely declined.
In the end,
we only paid $2.40 per application.
Somehow, feels like a moral victory in times when BLS is in a habit of sending people back, and charging exhorbitant fee.
My Question:
For those who opted for in-person pickup, can you share your experience? We’re planning to pick up in mid-January, and I’d like to know if there’s any flexibility around picking up both my and my wife’s documents, considering we’ll have a newborn at home. Any insights would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you!