nani_varaprasad wrote:Application Method to HCI: VFS/Paddington
Application Posted On : 23-03-2015 (1 adult for Myself)
Registration Status at Mission: LONDON
Alert Message Dispatched Received: 23-03-2015
Date Of Acknowledgement (on website) :24-03-2015
Originals Received:30-03-2015
Documents Printing Status PROCESSED On : 17-04-2015
Dispatched From MOIA (OCI ) NEW DELHI On : 20-04-2015
OCI Document received At HCI/VFS On : 21-04-2015
British Passport handed over to VFS for U sticker: 22-04-2015
OCI stamped passport received On :
For people, once you checked the online status saying documents received at London HCI (or whereever in UK) you need to go back to VFS office where you applied OCI. You dont need any appointment. You can walk in to VFS office and let them know that you came to handover your British passport and for collection of OCI. They will generate the OCI counter number and will ask to wait for your call.
[1] Take your OCI acknowledgement receipt (If you lost it just let them know. I dont think it will be a big issue. Anyways They have all your details in system).They will check and give it back to you.
[2] Online Status printout.
[3] British Passport Original
[4] Self addressed royal mail envelope.
2nd option is to post directly to HCI london. I will avoid this as i have confusions approaching directly to HCI. I went directly to HCI London and said they no more accepting the OCI in person. They said best approach is to go back to the VFS office where i applied and they will do it for you the final steps.
Also, i had no issues with VFS as many claimed they are not good. I surrended my passport in Goswell VFS and had no issues and everything done in quick time. For OCI, as i couldn't able to get an appointment at Goswell i went to Paddington. Even there i had no issues and everything done in quick times.
Unless you confuse yourself and Confuse VFS i dont see them being an issue. For me - VFS doing a good job for HCI and for me -completing the whole process in 4 weeks. If it is HCI alone i would have imagined atleast 8 weeks to get the OCI.
Just some clarification here -
1. You do not need the Acknowledgement receipt for submitting your passport for affixing U-sticker.
2. HCI will accept Passports for affixing U-sticker if you post them - I did not do that as both VFS office and HCI were equidistant - also with HCI I had to pay costs for Special Delivery Envelope. You cannot hand deliver at HCI as Security will not allow you to meet any officials
3. You submitted the application towards end of March when they improved their processes after multiple complaints to HCI. They are refunding applicants who were forced to buy multiple DX Secure Envelopes for family applications for returning original documents. However they did not compensate people who had used multiple SDE as the refund is being given from the commission they make selling each DX Secure envelope.
4. I think the applicants are more likely to get confused at VFS as most staff make up their own rules rather than working collaboratively with HCI for whom they are acting for.
5. I do not believe that outsourcing to VFS has shortened timelines, I would say it has added at least 2 extra working days to the process.
6. In addition for a typical family application (of 3 applicants), you are paying £50+ extra (VFS service charge, SDE for return of original and passports and getting nothing extra in benefit) compared to HCI where you only paid for one SDE for return of passports.
In fact HCI is being naughty in affixing U-stickers when it is not needed anymore for immigration so they could have simply handed over the OCI cards to VFS to be hand delivered or posted.