OCI process

[vishalv]

checked with my uncle in London. he says one needs to quarantine if stepping out. I have also seen a link on BA, where Terminal 5 (BA's terminal) has a covid test centre, which one can use. Any source I ask gives another info. Just coz of that i dropped the DEl - LHR - YYZ idea and coming back direct.

Thanks for the info.

 

[vishalv]

India was in amber list before October 4th I think. It was in the red list several months back.

Currently, there are no countries on the red list. Also, England no longer has Red/Amber/Green system. It only has a single red list.

Also, important to note, Indian nationals (citizens) who are Canadian PR CANNOT travel From India -> London -> Canada. This is according to the air bubble arrangement with the UK, Indian citizens (Indian Passport holders) can only travel from India -> UK if they have a valid visa for the UK and they cannot connect to any other destinations outside the UK (unless they have a spouse who is a foreign citizen). However, foreign citizens (including Canadian Passport Holders) can travel from India -> UK and then connect from UK to Canada.

Here's more information on BA website for travel to India =>

https://www.britishairways.com/en-in/information/incident/coronavirus/entry-requirements#india

Thanks for the detailed response. It helps confirm my assumptions.

For my return trip from India to Canada via UK, I will be travelling with my spouse who is an Indian citizen with Canadian PR. From your response, I understand I can travel via UK to Canada without any issues but what about my wife. Since she is accompanying me, will she face any restrictions ? Just wanted to be sure before I book the tickets.

 

[rajkamalmohanram]

Thanks for the detailed response. It helps confirm my assumptions.

For my return trip from India to Canada via UK, I will be travelling with my spouse who is an Indian citizen with Canadian PR. From your response, I understand I can travel via UK to Canada without any issues but what about my wife. Since she is accompanying me, will she face any restrictions ? Just wanted to be sure before I book the tickets.

Toronto -> London -> India trip wouldn't be a problem at all. India -> London -> Toronto would not have been possible for your spouse IF you weren't a Canadian citizen. Since you are now a Canadian citizen (and as a bonus, since you are accompanying her), she should be able to travel from India -> London -> Toronto without issues.

Read this =>


Outbound flights from India:
You must check if you are eligible to travel from India. You will not be allowed to board your flight if you do not meet these requirements.

Indian nationals

Due to India’s air travel agreement with the UK, please be aware that Indian nationals can only travel with British Airways from India to the UK, Ireland and Cayman Islands and must hold a valid visa.

India nationals, regardless of foreign residency status, are not allowed to travel further to any other countries, unless their spouse is a foreign national or they are a seaman travelling with authorised documentation from the Ministry of Shipping.

Nationals of the UK and other countries

UK nationals, UK residents (excluding Indian nationals), nationals of other countries and spouses of these groups, can travel from India to the UK, and connect onwards to other countries.

Here's the link =>

https://www.britishairways.com/en-in/information/incident/coronavirus/entry-requirements#india

You can call BA and confirm this as an additional security measure.

 

[nila001]

hi again @rajkamalmohanram
I have a walk in appointment in BLS coming Monday. I am ready with the docs for both Indian Passport surrender and OCI application. Just wondering if you have already a post detailing this process so that I can refer directly that

Few questions on my mind:
1) For the fees, I can pay by debit card for both the applications right there right? Do we pay in total together?

2) I often got reviews from few of my colleagues about BLS abruptly rejecting photos taken outside BLS. What's your experience on that?

3) Indian passport photocopy - only the photo and address page? Or all pages stamped?

4) Domicile certificate and Native certificate not required right? I was born in India and did hold Indian passport only till now. Both parents still hold Indian passport.

Thank you so much in advance.

 

[mili_0923]

Hi everyone,

I have few questions regarding OCI process.. I hope someone will be able to answer them.
I have filed the application on Sept 17th 2021.
I have the acknowledgment date as October 8th 2021.

I check almost daily on the BLS website and it is still showing Under Process …
Is it normal?

I was told by some people, I would receive by this week. The week is about to end.
Anyone else has faced this issue?

Also, do we need to get stamp the OCI Booklet once we receive it at home?

Please, anyone who would be able to assist me with the waiting time period.. it will be highly appreciated.

Thank you in advance

 

[rajkamalmohanram]

hi again @rajkamalmohanram
I have a walk in appointment in BLS coming Monday. I am ready with the docs for both Indian Passport surrender and OCI application. Just wondering if you have already a post detailing this process so that I can refer directly that

Few questions on my mind:
1) For the fees, I can pay by debit card for both the applications right there right? Do we pay in total together?

2) I often got reviews from few of my colleagues about BLS abruptly rejecting photos taken outside BLS. What's your experience on that?

3) Indian passport photocopy - only the photo and address page? Or all pages stamped?

4) Domicile certificate and Native certificate not required right? I was born in India and did hold Indian passport only till now. Both parents still hold Indian passport.

Thank you so much in advance.

I don't have a post for the process.

1. No. You MUST pay with a bank draft for OCI, that's the only option. For surrender, you can pay using your debit card or cash.

2. I had no such experience. The photos must be 2inX2in. I followed those instructions on BLS website and took the photo elsewhere. I did not have that issue.

3. Bio page, Last page (with address) and the observation page is what I submitted.

4. If you are applying based on your own (previous) Indian citizenship, domicile or native certificate isn't required.

 

[rajkamalmohanram]

Hi everyone,

I have few questions regarding OCI process.. I hope someone will be able to answer them.
I have filed the application on Sept 17th 2021.
I have the acknowledgment date as October 8th 2021.

I check almost daily on the BLS website and it is still showing Under Process …
Is it normal?

I was told by some people, I would receive by this week. The week is about to end.
Anyone else has faced this issue?

Also, do we need to get stamp the OCI Booklet once we receive it at home?

Please, anyone who would be able to assist me with the waiting time period.. it will be highly appreciated.

Thank you in advance

That's weird. You should have received it by now. Give it an additional week.

There'll be no stamping after you receive the OCI booklet.

 

[Millie08]

Hi all, I am new in this thread and looking forward for some guidance. I am a PR and looking forward to apply Indian Visa for my Canadian born child.
1) Should I apply for Entry Visa?
2) Tourist visa only allows to stay for 1 month as of now and I have plans to stay for 2-3 months. Correct me if I am wrong.
3) OCI is another option. How long is it taking currently for the full processing since I am planning to travel around Mid January.
Thankyou.

 

[Millie08]

Update: I went to BLS center to apply Regular Entry visa, since India has allowed visitor visa entries from 15th Nov.

Surrender Passport and OCI application date: 13th Oct
Regular Visa applied Date: 15th Oct
Regular Visa stamped and delivered: 25th Oct (Valid for 6 months, multiple entries)
Regular visa issue date: 21st Oct

Good turnaround of visa stamping in 7 days.

Happy to answer any questions, incase someone is waiting for OCI, and want to travel to India soon.

Are Regular Indian visa and Entry Visa same thing?
if we apply OCI and Entry visa at the same time, do we have to send our Canadian Passport along with the application for OCI?

 

[rajkamalmohanram]

Are Regular Indian visa and Entry Visa same thing?
if we apply OCI and Entry visa at the same time, do we have to send our Canadian Passport along with the application for OCI?

No, they're not.

1. Entry visa is only available to persons of Indian origin (Ex-Indian citizens / expats - not sure if this includes foreign born children of Ex-Indian citizens). Regular Indian visa is for everyone (ex-Indian citizens and foreign born citizens ). Entry visa is a blanket visa and could be for various purposes AFAIK (like tourism or business etc)

2. You will have to submit your original Canadian passport for your visa application, not for your OCI application.

OCI takes 6 weeks (sometimes 6 - 8 weeks). Tourist visa takes about a couple of weeks (tops) from what I hear.

 

[vishalv]

Toronto -> London -> India trip wouldn't be a problem at all. India -> London -> Toronto would not have been possible for your spouse IF you weren't a Canadian citizen. Since you are now a Canadian citizen (and as a bonus, since you are accompanying her), she should be able to travel from India -> London -> Toronto without issues.

Read this =>


Outbound flights from India:
You must check if you are eligible to travel from India. You will not be allowed to board your flight if you do not meet these requirements.

Indian nationals

Due to India’s air travel agreement with the UK, please be aware that Indian nationals can only travel with British Airways from India to the UK, Ireland and Cayman Islands and must hold a valid visa.

India nationals, regardless of foreign residency status, are not allowed to travel further to any other countries, unless their spouse is a foreign national or they are a seaman travelling with authorised documentation from the Ministry of Shipping.

Nationals of the UK and other countries

UK nationals, UK residents (excluding Indian nationals), nationals of other countries and spouses of these groups, can travel from India to the UK, and connect onwards to other countries.

Here's the link =>

https://www.britishairways.com/en-in/information/incident/coronavirus/entry-requirements#india

You can call BA and confirm this as an additional security measure.

Thanks mate for your response. We can confidently go ahead and book tickets. I did try calling BA in the last couple of days but was unable to get through, hence the reason for posting the question here.

Also, I managed to locate a test centre at the Heathrow airport and there is a provision for receiving your RT-PCR test results in 3 hours.
https://www.expresstest.co.uk/book-a-test/testing-centres/?productType=Fit to Fly&testType=FTPCR&testName=3+hour+PCR+Fit+to+Fly

The directions mentioned for the above test centre is as follows:
(If you are arriving from an international flight, upon exiting customs via World Duty Free (the Costa coffee shop is directly in front of you) turn left and proceed to the very end of the concourse.)

So as per my understanding, we have to exit customs and get the RT-PCR test done and then check in later into customs.

 

[rajkamalmohanram]

Thanks mate for your response. We can confidently go ahead and book tickets. I did try calling BA in the last couple of days but was unable to get through, hence the reason for posting the question here.

Also, I managed to locate a test centre at the Heathrow airport and there is a provision for receiving your RT-PCR test results in 3 hours.
https://www.expresstest.co.uk/book-a-test/testing-centres/?productType=Fit to Fly&testType=FTPCR&testName=3+hour+PCR+Fit+to+Fly

The directions mentioned for the above test centre is as follows:
(If you are arriving from an international flight, upon exiting customs via World Duty Free (the Costa coffee shop is directly in front of you) turn left and proceed to the very end of the concourse.)

So as per my understanding, we have to exit customs and get the RT-PCR test done and then check in later into customs.

The first thing you will pass is security on arrival. So Security --> Immigration --> Customs --> Enter UK --> Walk from the Arrivals terminal to the Departures terminal --> Get the PCR test done --> Wait for the report and collect it --> Enter the departures section ---> Security --> Immigration --> Go to your gate --> Board flight. This is how I think it'll be.

Try to book a long layover fight on your way back. I have a 9.5 hour layover at Heathrow when coming back so I'll have all the time in the world to get the test done and possibly even visit at least 1 place there (like the Buckingham palace or Museum).

 

[ajit90]

Hi everyone,

I have few questions regarding OCI process.. I hope someone will be able to answer them.
I have filed the application on Sept 17th 2021.
I have the acknowledgment date as October 8th 2021.

I check almost daily on the BLS website and it is still showing Under Process …
Is it normal?

I was told by some people, I would receive by this week. The week is about to end.
Anyone else has faced this issue?

Also, do we need to get stamp the OCI Booklet once we receive it at home?

Please, anyone who would be able to assist me with the waiting time period.. it will be highly appreciated.

Thank you in advance

Please check on OCI site as well . As per posts on this thread , OCI site updates in a more detailed way . In 3 weeks , post application date shown on OCI site, you can expect OCI no to be generated

 

[rtamuli]

Hello
Has anyone recently been to BLS Toronto, or know someone who has been there? I have an appointment next week and wanted to get a fair idea of the wait time. If my appointment is at 10 am, what is the advisable time to reach there (assuming there would be walk in applicants at the same time)? Is there a separate line for walk-in vs appointments?

 

[mvrsingh416]

My apologies for posting a query related to eVisa to India in this group, I could not find an active group relevant to this topic, hence reached out to this group for some help.

The eVisa webisite does not show CANADA as one of the dropdown options under Nationality/Region. Can anyone please confirm if India has stopped issuing eVisa to Canadians?
I am referring to this site:
https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/Registration

Better to apply for an entry visa in the current situation. I got mine within a week, and can now travel from Nov 15th, while I wait for my OCI booklet (Applied for OCI on 13th Oct).