OCI - New York Tracker

I can not even believe how many times have screwed up! First, they want you to get notary copy of NC. Now they do not. They changed their forms for SC several times. For OCI, they asked to get SC. Now it seems like it is not exactly required. They wanted $175 before for SC. Now, they waive it.

If they want to charge this exorbitant price of $175, then say so clearly, and charge it. Stick to a position. Do not keep changing the position. If for a valid reason, they want to change it, then change it, but once again do not create another mess by not making it retroactively, especially when done in just 2 weeks making us all feel like robbed and cheated! We all fall under the "Before June 1, 2010" class!!

Plus, I am just surprised at the facination of our consulate people on self attested copies. That was a lot of papers that we needed to sign!

I am surprised that these are our Indian representatives representing Indian interests in USA. They do not even know how to interpret and implement a simple policy with clarity.
 
Good News on Refund!!!
Just got a call from the NY consultate, to send (or come in person) revised fee of $20 for 3 (total $60 + $ 20 mail) and they will return my original cashier's check of $ 545!!!
(I beleive, since they have not yet processed my application, they are goign charge at the revised rate!!! I mailed the SC application on May 20th)

- Rakesh
 
REFUND OF EXTRA MONIES FOR SURRENDER CERTIFICATE‏

Dear Ministry and Consulate officers,


I have acquired US citizenship on April 8, 2010. As such following the bedlam surrounding the "Surrender Certificate," I have paid $175+20 for me and $175 for my wife to obtain the same.

This new volte-face regarding the fee amount leaves many of us expatriates feeling cheated. It is not a trivial amount but $155 +$155 = $310 that was capriciously charged now on hind sight.

Similar to the fee reduction of the PIO card since its initial offering, I would strongly urge the ministry and/or the consulate to either refund the excess fees or have some sort of quid pro quo.

A day of service rendered means after collecting the money, the surrender certificate with canceled passport should be return on that day or maximum working day of ten. but, here the case is different.

I applied SC on 15th May 2010 and received by new york Consulate on 17th May 2010. As on today, 2nd June 2010, I have not received SC with canceled passport.

AS on today policy of SC are not required $175 and What is wrong to claim the refund my money on today.


In any case, I believe the CGINY owes some sort of reparation for the excess fees that they have charged.



Regards,

( today I sent this email to all persons)
 
rakesh69 said:
Good News on Refund!!!
Just got a call from the NY consultate, to send (or come in person) revised fee of $20 for 3 (total $60 + $ 20 mail) and they will return my original cashier's check of $ 545!!!
(I beleive, since they have not yet processed my application, they are goign charge at the revised rate!!! I mailed the SC application on May 20th)

- Rakesh
Click to expand...

Thanks for keeping us posted. I have mailed SC on 5/24, so keeping fingers crossed.

--- Added later ---

Just saw this email from Consulate promising to return un-utilized money order.
Dear Applicant(s),

This is to inform you that the Government of India has revised its guidelines regarding fee for Renouncing Indian Citizenship and obtaining Surrender Certificate for applicants who acquired foreign nationality before June 1, 2010.

The fee applicable in such cases is only $20. Your Indian passport will be cancelled (by putting a stamp which says ‘cancelled as holder acquired US citizenship’). No Surrender Certificate is required to be issued for those who acquired foreign nationality before June 1, 2010.

In view of the revised guidelines, we require you to send/bring the revised fee ($20 per applicant +$20 total mailing charges for the entire family in case you wish to receive your passport back by mail) urgently so that your Indian passports (along with your un-utilized money order) could be returned to you after cancellation.

You may wish to submit the revised fee in person at the Consulate (between 9.00 am-12.15 pm on a business day) and collect your cancelled passport the same day at 4.30 pm. You also have the option of sending the revised fee as money order along with a covering letter and additional $20 as mailing charges.

In both cases i.e. submitting at the counter or sending the revised fee by mail, you should give my name (RAVICHANDRAN) as a reference (also on the envelope in case you are mailing) so that we can easily co-relate your previous application with the revised fee submitted by you.

Regards,

Ravichandran
Office of Consul General
Consulate General of India
New York
Click to expand...
 
Last edited by a moderator:
New York has removed the sentence 'Already decided cases will, however, not be reopened' now from their website. SFO has clearly mentioned they are awaiting instructions from Indian Govt on the refund. So let us hope a good decision will be taken.
 
I've obtained my OCI card before all the chaos transpired. Hence, as per the revised policy looks like I'm exempt from Surrender Certificate.

A cancellation stamp has already been placed in my passport

Would the cancellation stamp my passport currently bears constitutes cancellation from Indian citizenship renunciation perspective? or Should I send in my already cancelled Indian passport to obtain special cancellation stamp?

Would there be an instance in which people have obtained their OCI cards in the distant past and didn't have their passports cancelled?
 
Here is the message on the web site - They removed the verbiage on already decided cases.....

Fees for Obtaining Surrender / Renunciation Certificate

In supersession of the rules regarding Surrender/Renunciation Certificate the Government of India have decided as follow:-



Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) who have already acquired foreign citizenship voluntarily till May 31, 2010 shall cease to be Indian citizens upon their acquiring foreign citizenship. Such persons are required to surrender their Indian passports, whether valid or expired, to the Indian Consulate so that the passport is not misused. Such persons are not required to pay any fee under the Citizenship Act. However, they will have to pay US$ 20/- for Surrender/Cancellation of the passports.



Those Indian citizens, who intend to acquire foreign citizenship on or after 1st June 2010 will have to submit a declaration of renunciation of their Indian citizenship with payment of US$ 175/- as per fee structure under Rule 23 of the Citizenship Rules, 2009.
 
Expat007 said:
I've obtained my OCI card before all the chaos transpired. Hence, as per the revised policy looks like I'm exempt from Surrender Certificate.

A cancellation stamp has already been placed in my passport

Would the cancellation stamp my passport currently bears constitutes cancellation from Indian citizenship renunciation perspective? or Should I send in my already cancelled Indian passport to obtain special cancellation stamp?

Would there be an instance in which people have obtained their OCI cards in the distant past and didn't have their passports cancelled?
Click to expand...

If the stamp in your Indian passport states "Canceled due to acquisition of US nationality" or something similar, then you are except from doing anything further.
 
nkm-oct23 said:
If the stamp in your Indian passport states "Canceled due to acquisition of US nationality" or something similar, then you are except from doing anything further.
Click to expand...

Wouldn’t a cancellation stamp placed in the passport associated with OCI/PIO card manifests not only an acquisition of foreign citizenship but also prevents travelers from using passport for reentry. This should fulfill the premise of the new policy of preventing people from using Indian passport for travel purposes if they have obtained foreign citizenship.

In other words, perhaps the actual wording of cancellation stamp may not matter much but the fact that a passport was in fact cancelled?
 
I just got an email from NY Consulate

Got an e-mail which reads the following( but actually have collected the OCI cards).

1. The languange in the
e-mail as well as website always valid/expired but never say already cancelled, I believe its deliberate and
keep the option open for cancelled passports.

2. The end of e-mail has the following lines ( I am not sure what to make out of it)
"
Due to a recent requirement of surrender certificate, some OCI applications were returned to the applicants with a request to furnish the surrender certificate with the application. This requirement has now been withdrawn. If your application was returned, you may wish to resubmit your application. Before sending the application, kindly ensure that it is complete in all respects (details may be seen on our website: www.indiacgny.org) and the application and supporting documents are in duplicate. "

3. Email has the link http://indiacgny.org/php/showContent.php?linkid=177&partid=100&sub=sub6.
which points to old july 14 2009 instructtions..

Umm...not sure what to make out of it.. Is SC requirement removed for all to get OCI?

Dear Sir/Madam,


A large number of OCI cards received from New Delhi have not been collected by the applicants. Applicants are requested to check the status of their application online: http://ociindia.nic.in/ociindia/OnlineOCIenquiry.jsp and if their documents are at the Consulate, they should arrange collection of their OCI card and 'U' visa. Detailed procedure is given at: http://indiacgny.org/php/showContent.php?linkid=177&partid=100&sub=sub6.


The documents required for the purpose are: (i) US passport in original; (ii) a print out of the online status which can be obtained by hooking on to the above mentioned site; (iii) return mailing charges of US$20 (if not already paid) by way of money order/bankers' check (if the documents are required by mail). The OCI applicants who have valid Indian passports or whose passports have expired but not cancelled may kindly ensure that they also send their Indian passports so that these can be cancelled by the Consulate.


Due to a recent requirement of surrender certificate, some OCI applications were returned to the applicants with a request to furnish the surrender certificate with the application. This requirement has now been withdrawn. If your application was returned, you may wish to resubmit your application. Before sending the application, kindly ensure that it is complete in all respects (details may be seen on our website: www.indiacgny.org) and the application and supporting documents are in duplicate.

With regards,
Consulate General of India, New York










ginnu said:
Did you notice the date on page?:(

OCI ANNOUCMENT –July 14, 2009

OCI - ARRIVAL DETAILS OF CARD
• The applicant will not receive any letter regarding the OCI status. He should check the OCI status online. There is no need of confirming by phone or by e-mail. After the status shows that the card has reached the Consulate, he/she should mail the US (foreign) passport(s) to the OCI Cell, Consulate General of India, New York so that the Consulate can issue the OCI card and OCI visa sticker.
• The Applicant should not forget to write their file numbers in a cover letter along with the passport/s (this file no. is found when applicant checks status online with the assigned ref. no.).
• To find out applicant's "file no.", please enter "reference no." here: http://ociindia.nic.in/ociindia/OnlineOCIenquiry.jsp
• If the applicant is a PIO card holder, he/she is also required to surrender the same to Consulate.
• The applicant has to pay the postage charge of $20 through a postal money order/cashier’s check favoring "Consulate General of India New York”. This money is not refundable. No personal check is accepta
Click to expand...
 
Expat007 said:
Wouldn’t a cancellation stamp placed in the passport associated with OCI/PIO card manifests not only an acquisition of foreign citizenship but also prevents travelers from using passport for reentry. This should fulfill the premise of the new policy of preventing people from using Indian passport for travel purposes if they have obtained foreign citizenship.

In other words, perhaps the actual wording of cancellation stamp may not matter much but the fact that a passport was in fact cancelled?
Click to expand...

Please follow this link

http://chicago.indianconsulate.com/

Please note that if you have acquired US (foreign) Citizenship on or before 31 May 2010 and if you have "Cancelled" stamp on your Indian passport, then there is a no requirement of acquiring "Surrender Certificate". If you do not have a cancelled stamp on Indian passport then you need to get the "Surrender Certificate". However fees for that is US$ 20/- only.

It clarifies that only a "Cancelled" stamp is sufficient. When I got my OCI more than 2.5 years ago, this is how it was stamped - "Cancelled". In my case, the Indian passport was cancelled and signed by New York consulate as they had issued it. In my spouse's case, it was cancelled and signed by Chicago consulate since it was issued in India.
 
Hi Ginnu,

After days of email, finally OCI NY responded today (few minutes ago) saying that my Indian passports were mailed out today. I had applied for Surrender Certificate on May 12. I need this certificate to get an Entry visa which Travisa has my documents already but need this certificate to apply for visa. My OCI which was applied on April 04th, finally got acknowledged on May 19th, photos scanned on May 21. Lost hopes of getting OCI so getting Entry visa to go to India next week. I hope I get that soon so that I can plan my trip.

Just wanted to keep you and others posted on this site. This forum has really helped us all in exchanging information and getting help whenever we ask for one. Will update more as I get more info.
 
Just received an email from Mrs. Pushpa Kumar - Please help

Dear Sir/Madam,

A large number of OCI cards received from New Delhi have not been collected by the applicants. Applicants are requested to check the status of their application online: http://ociindia.nic.in/ociindia/OnlineOCIenquiry.jsp and if their documents are at the Consulate, they should arrange collection of their OCI card and 'U' visa. Detailed procedure is given at: http://indiacgny.org/php/showContent.php?linkid=177&partid=100&sub=sub6.

The documents required for the purpose are: (i) US passport in original; (ii) a print out of the online status which can be obtained by hooking on to the above mentioned site; (iii) return mailing charges of US$20 (if not already paid) by way of money order/bankers' check (if the documents are required by mail). The OCI applicants who have valid Indian passports or whose passports have expired but not cancelled may kindly ensure that they also send their Indian passports so that these can be cancelled by the Consulate.

Due to a recent requirement of surrender certificate, some OCI applications were returned to the applicants with a request to furnish the surrender certificate with the application. This requirement has now been withdrawn. If your application was returned, you may wish to resubmit your application. Before sending the application, kindly ensure that it is complete in all respects (details may be seen on our website: www.indiacgny.org) and the application and supporting documents are in duplicate.


With regards,


Consulate General of India, New York
Click to expand...

I have been checking the online status every day. My OCI cards have reached the NY consulate from New Delhi on 27th of may. However, due to the recent requirement of obtaining surrender certificate (which is now withdrawn), I applied for SC on May 19th 2010 which was received at the consulate on May 20th 2010. I am yet to receive the SCs or our canceled Indian passports (that I now need to send for OCI) or any communication thereof. Please advice what should I do now. Should I send the US passports and Printout of the status page without waiting for the SC or the canceled Indian passports?
 
BITS_IIMB said:
Just came back from a visit to CGI-NY.

I had sent our completed Surrender Certificate/Renunciation form to CCGI-NY on 5/24 which was received by them on 5/25. I enclosed a CC for $ 720. Now that the fees have been reduced from $ 175 to $ 20, means that I was out of pocket by $ 620.

In the hall on the right in the Basement, they have set up an Information/Inquiry desk. I was asked to talk to her. She said that if the Surrender Certificate has been processed then no refund, though they have asked Delhi if something could be done about refunds. If they have not been processed, then the Consulate will contact us on phone to resubmit the application with reduced fees.

There was another gentleman who had driven down from Boston, who not only had paid the $ 175 but had also paid $ 250 as penalty. He was given the same response.

Interestingly, they kept announcing that if your passport has a cancelled stamp then there is no need to obtain a Surrender Certificate. That seemed to a total reversal of the stance of the last few weeks.

I am going to email Dr Anju Kumar on my case.
Click to expand...

This is true. We sent our application forms for SC + required documentation + Indian passports + money orders ($175 + $175 for cancellation of two passports + $20 towards fee for return mail) on May 14th, package was delivered to CGINY on May 15th, no mail or response from them until yesterday. Today I got a call from CGI-NY, they asked me to send another money order for $40 (for cancellation of two passports, $20 each as per the new guidelines), so that they can send our cancelled passports and return the original money orders back to us.
 
smodak said:
I have been checking the online status every day. My OCI cards have reached the NY consulate from New Delhi on 27th of may. However, due to the recent requirement of obtaining surrender certificate (which is now withdrawn), I applied for SC on May 19th 2010 which was received at the consulate on May 20th 2010. I am yet to receive the SCs or our canceled Indian passports (that I now need to send for OCI) or any communication thereof. Please advice what should I do now. Should I send the US passports and Printout of the status page without waiting for the SC or the canceled Indian passports?
Click to expand...

I am in the same boat as you. My OCI is received on May 27, but I had sent SC app on May 24. Today I received email asking for $20/person + $20 mailing fees so that they can void my MO for $175/person.

I am tempted to mail US passports, website printout showing received status, etc along with new MO. But I am trying to resist it since I do not have urgency to travel, and I do not want my US passports to be mailed back & forth multiple times (in case they do not like me mailing everything at once). Maybe I will send an email, see what they say. Will post if I get reply.
 
pb74 said:
I am in the same boat as you. My OCI is received on May 27, but I had sent SC app on May 24. Today I received email asking for $20/person + $20 mailing fees so that they can void my MO for $175/person.

I am tempted to mail US passports, website printout showing received status, etc along with new MO. But I am trying to resist it since I do not have urgency to travel, and I do not want my US passports to be mailed back & forth multiple times (in case they do not like me mailing everything at once). Maybe I will send an email, see what they say. Will post if I get reply.
Click to expand...

I must be the unlucky one :( They received my SC app on 20th May but no communication yet.
 
Hi Ginnu and Other forum buddies

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all and wish you the best always
and my trip to India starts tomorrow and catch everybody after 3 weeks

until then Bye
 
uk01 said:
It clarifies that only a "Cancelled" stamp is sufficient. When I got my OCI more than 2.5 years ago, this is how it was stamped - "Cancelled". In my case, the Indian passport was cancelled and signed by New York consulate as they had issued it. In my spouse's case, it was cancelled and signed by Chicago consulate since it was issued in India.
Click to expand...

Thank you, uk01. Your posting was very helpful.
 
coolgoose9 said:
I submitted my application by mail on May 14th received by the consulate on May 17th. I didn't receive my surrender certificate yet.
Click to expand...

I too submitted on 15th May and received by consulate on 17th May 2010. As on date today 06/02/2010, I didn't receive my SC with canceled passport.
Will you please update as soon as you receive.
Thanks
 
BostonCool said:
Hi Ginnu and Other forum buddies

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all and wish you the best always
and my trip to India starts tomorrow and catch everybody after 3 weeks

until then Bye
Click to expand...

Good luck and update us after your trip to India.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top