I submitted my OCI application in person at BLS Toronto [premium lounge] today and wanted to share a few observations that might help others:
1. e‑OCI is coming, but for now they confirmed that applicants will still receive a physical booklet.
2. Premium Lounge users can still choose pickup. They just ask you to sign a form and write “voluntary pickup” on it.
3. If you are using Premium Lounge, it’s actually better not to start the OCI application online yourself. I had pre‑filled mine but didn’t submit it. The BLS staff ended up changing several things anyway - for example, they removed my birth district (said it wasn’t needed) and selected “No” for the question about having relatives in India.
Overall, if you’re a former Indian citizen, the main thing they care about is whether
a. you have a surrender certificate.
b. your parents were also Indian citizens.
The application is pretty straightforward.
