OCI process

[aaroniclee]

Nope, I am still waiting.

Bummer - does your status still say 'Processing at Consulate General'?

 

[sach1234]

Bummer - does your status still say 'Processing at Consulate General'?

Yeah man, still says the same thing. It's so frustrating dealing with BLS and High commission in Ottawa.

 

[aaroniclee]

Yeah man, still says the same thing. It's so frustrating dealing with BLS and High commission in Ottawa.

Yeah I tried calling their hotline and got nowhere. Opened a ticket and they closed the ticket and gave me a boilerplate reply. Super frustrating.

 

[sach1234]

Yeah I tried calling their hotline and got nowhere. Opened a ticket and they closed the ticket and gave me a boilerplate reply. Super frustrating.

Yeah same with me as well. I tried that option and even emailed a couple of times to the High commission office and they never effing replied back.

 

[jackbauer]

Hi Folks,
like many of you I am also embarking on the frustrating journey of getting Surrender certificate and Entry Visa. So I am looking for some advise on what's the best way to go about it.

Back ground information:
1) Tentative Travel Date : 15May2022
2) Intended stay duration : 4 Months
3) My status : Indian National with a Canadian PR.
4) Spouse : Previously Indian National and now a Canadian citizen with passport.
4) Minor Child : Born in Canada, has Canadian passport.

Applications I need to send:
4) Application1 : Surrender certificate for spouse.
5) Application2 : Entry Visa for spouse once she gets surrender certificate. Not sure if I have sufficient time for her OCI.
6) Application3 : Entry Visa for Minor child (Born here in Canada). Not sure again if I have sufficient time for her OCI.
7) Current stage: I am at the preparation stage for all three applications.
8) Application mode : Postal, because appointments are not available until May 2022!

Questions:
1) For Application1 (Surrender), do I need to send original Canadian Passport and original Citizenship oath certificate alongside copies or just copies will do. Checklist explicitly says "copy" for passport but doesn't say copy or original for Oath. Because this is a postal application so I am not sure.

2) Can I take a chance, brave the weather and just go stand in the line without appointment, will they let me in ? I read about walk-in camps, how to find
more about those?

3) Can I apply spouse's Application 1 & 2 (i.e. surrender & Entry visa) together. I was today on a call with BLS associate and he said that I can do both but I will need to make a cover letter addressed to the Embassy, mentioning my Surrender Application & Entry Visa Applications numbers and request that both applications to be processed together. Or should I just wait for surrender certificate to come and then apply entry visa ?

4) For Minor child should I apply OCI or Entry Visa? Is my spouse's Surrender certificate needed for both applications ? Not very clear from checklists. For example for OCI check list it appears that for the Minor child surrender certificate is not needed.

5) What's the average processing time for surrender certificate ? I know BLS says 8 weeks, but I have seen people getting it earlier.


If you have made this far then thanks a lot for reading.
I will look forward for your recommendations.

Thanks!

Hi, I sincerely suggest you visit the nearest BLS center, Toronto if you would like to get an entry visa as its the fastest for walk-ins compared with Brampton. The thing is you can apply for surrender and entry visa together but not OCI. For OCI, you will need surrender certificate first and a cancelled passport. WIth three apps, chances are high they will find something or wrong with your apps and deny.
Postal OCI takes a minimum of 7-9 weeks but with walk-in you can get in 5-6 weeks including postal delivery.
I applied postal surrender and it got returned because of some stupid issue, went in to BLS Toronto last month, by 22 days I got my cancelled Indian passport and then I applied for OCI. My OCI is still under process from Feb 12th.

Walk-ins are a bit tricky. I got lucky, I went on a Thursday afternoon @12.50 and not a soul was waiting outside. Just got done with everything in an hour. But during surrender even though I had an appointment I waited in the cold for an hour before they let me in, so be prepared. I suggest you get your wife's surrender + OCI before applying for child's OCI as they will ask for it anyway.
Good luck!

 

[gurvijay.gill]

Hi, I sincerely suggest you visit the nearest BLS center, Toronto if you would like to get an entry visa as its the fastest for walk-ins compared with Brampton. The thing is you can apply for surrender and entry visa together but not OCI. For OCI, you will need surrender certificate first and a cancelled passport. WIth three apps, chances are high they will find something or wrong with your apps and deny.
Postal OCI takes a minimum of 7-9 weeks but with walk-in you can get in 5-6 weeks including postal delivery.
I applied postal surrender and it got returned because of some stupid issue, went in to BLS Toronto last month, by 22 days I got my cancelled Indian passport and then I applied for OCI. My OCI is still under process from Feb 12th.

Walk-ins are a bit tricky. I got lucky, I went on a Thursday afternoon @12.50 and not a soul was waiting outside. Just got done with everything in an hour. But during surrender even though I had an appointment I waited in the cold for an hour before they let me in, so be prepared. I suggest you get your wife's surrender + OCI before applying for child's OCI as they will ask for it anyway.
Good luck!

Thanks a lot good sir for the detailed reply, you are even more awesome than the one from "24" !

I live in Brampton, so I will probably take a a chance and go there super early before trying my luck at Toronto for walk-in.

In case I need to send a postal application for Spouse Surrender + Entry Visa, I intend to do the following
1) Make two separate application packages and book combined pick-ups but separate drop-offs
2) In the entry visa application package, I will also include a cover letter to Embassy where I'll mention that we have also applied for a surrender certificate along side its application number.

How does this approach sound ?

 

[gurvijay.gill]

If you’re under Vancouver jurisdiction you can apply surrender certificate and oci together by courier appointments are available at the end of April if things change they may allow walk in . Surrender certificate and oci separate long procedure better get visa after surrender certificate.

Thanks for the suggestion but I am under one of the slowest moving "aka Toronto" jurisdiction. Should I try my luck at the Brampton office for a walk-in without appointment. Was anyone let in there ?

 

[zagcollins]

Hi Folks,
like many of you I am also embarking on the frustrating journey of getting Surrender certificate and Entry Visa. So I am looking for some advise on what's the best way to go about it.

Back ground information:
1) Tentative Travel Date : 15May2022
2) Intended stay duration : 4 Months
3) My status : Indian National with a Canadian PR.
4) Spouse : Previously Indian National and now a Canadian citizen with passport.
4) Minor Child : Born in Canada, has Canadian passport.

Applications I need to send:
4) Application1 : Surrender certificate for spouse.
5) Application2 : Entry Visa for spouse once she gets surrender certificate. Not sure if I have sufficient time for her OCI.
6) Application3 : Entry Visa for Minor child (Born here in Canada). Not sure again if I have sufficient time for her OCI.
7) Current stage: I am at the preparation stage for all three applications.
8) Application mode : Postal, because appointments are not available until May 2022!

Questions:
1) For Application1 (Surrender), do I need to send original Canadian Passport and original Citizenship oath certificate alongside copies or just copies will do. Checklist explicitly says "copy" for passport but doesn't say copy or original for Oath. Because this is a postal application so I am not sure.

2) Can I take a chance, brave the weather and just go stand in the line without appointment, will they let me in ? I read about walk-in camps, how to find
more about those?

3) Can I apply spouse's Application 1 & 2 (i.e. surrender & Entry visa) together. I was today on a call with BLS associate and he said that I can do both but I will need to make a cover letter addressed to the Embassy, mentioning my Surrender Application & Entry Visa Applications numbers and request that both applications to be processed together. Or should I just wait for surrender certificate to come and then apply entry visa ?

4) For Minor child should I apply OCI or Entry Visa? Is my spouse's Surrender certificate needed for both applications ? Not very clear from checklists. For example for OCI check list it appears that for the Minor child surrender certificate is not needed.

5) What's the average processing time for surrender certificate ? I know BLS says 8 weeks, but I have seen people getting it earlier.


If you have made this far then thanks a lot for reading.
I will look forward for your recommendations.

Thanks!

May 15, 2022 I think is sufficient for OCI unless you're unlucky.

Submitted OCI application for my infant. Here's the current update:

Application submitted (In-person application at Toronto office): Feb 12, 2022
Official OCI website acknowledgment: Feb 28, 2022
BLS Tracking Update: OG Birth Certificate In Transit from Consulate General to BLS Centre (Feb 28, 2022)

 

[vvarma]

Yeah same with me as well. I tried that option and even emailed a couple of times to the High commission office and they never effing replied back.

Same experience as well, sent emails to two of their departments 11 days ago for a simple query - no acknowledgement or reply!

 

[sk6492]

Hi guys, I sent my surrender application on Feb 25th by purolator and it was delivered to BLS Brampton today. Hoping someone can help answer the below;

1. Any idea how long it takes for the application to show up on the BLS tracker?
2. Also should we select ‘Passport Application’ or ‘PIO application’ while tracking online?
3. Approximately how long is the process taking to receive surrender certificate and original passport back days.

Thanks!

1. Mine showed up on BLS tracker with in 24 hours. I did walk-in though. So I assume it should show when they receive your app & send it to CGI.
2. Passport Application
3. I have seen people getting it back in 1 month.

My status says "Processing at Consulate General" on BLS
Even though CGI site shows "Surrender certificate has been printed." since 2 weeks now.

 

[VSw]

Do we till need RT-PCR or any other test to visit India? There was a media report that India has dropped it for vaccinated travelers. But the MEA website and air suvidha portal still asking for it. Anyone having any recent update.

I alongwith my family travelled to India last week. Took Toronto-Delhi direct flight with Air India. They asked me to upload proof of vaccination on Air Suvidha. RT-PCR was not required and no one asked for it anywhere. Here is the official guideline: https://www.newdelhiairport.in/pdf/Guidelines-for-International-arrivals-updated-on-10th-February-2022-11-02-22.pdf

 

[royce110]

1. Mine showed up on BLS tracker with in 24 hours. I did walk-in though. So I assume it should show when they receive your app & send it to CGI.
2. Passport Application
3. I have seen people getting it back in 1 month.

My status says "Processing at Consulate General" on BLS
Even though CGI site shows "Surrender certificate has been printed." since 2 weeks now.

Thank you very much. How do you track on the CGI site? Is there a tracking # or something or is it the order # BLS gives you

 

[Hot2Cold]

Thank you very much. How do you track on the CGI site? Is there a tracking # or something or is it the order # BLS gives you

I think they meant the Passport Seva website where you entered your surrender application online. Once you login, You will see the application / list of applications at the end of the page (It takes a few seconds to show).

Click the select button and you will see an option to Print Application Form and Track Application Status. Use the track application status to track progress at the consulate.

Go to BLS's website to track their Progress.

In both cases, use the application number from the Passport Seva website. This is also printed on the application receipt given by BLS.

 

[Hot2Cold]

A question on the OCI Checklist (published on February 23, 2022).

One of the requirements is:

• Professional Details of the applicant:

Please enclose a letter mentioning your profession / occupation details in Canada.

Is this a letter from our employers, or is this just something that we write ourselves? I know that others here have mentioned that it is not required, but I just want to be prepared for any eventuality.

 

[ironsheikthelegend]

A question on the OCI Checklist (published on February 23, 2022).

One of the requirements is:



Is this a letter from our employers, or is this just something that we write ourselves? I know that others here have mentioned that it is not required, but I just want to be prepared for any eventuality.

BLS Toronto did not require it for me. But, just a letter stating where you work. It is typically available on the hR portal. But I think you can write it yourself too.