Photo scanned today!
OCI - Washington DC Tracker
- Thread starter madabushi
- Start date
Photo scanned today!
linux and others,
Some updates from my side...... Here are the details... Apologies for the delay...
We went yesterday and first to the downstairs hall and picked a token. It was about 11:35 AM when we reached there. Luckily, the wait was not long and got called within 10 minutes.... Upon seeing my OCI Online status page, the lady immediately said "Nothing to be done here. You have to go upstairs"
Went out and tried to go through the stairs/door to the main floor.... There is a buzzer and some "Divine Voice" from the inside inquired the purpose of my visit. I told him that I have to submit additional photos for my OCI. The "Voice" replied.... "Come back between 12:30 and 1:00 PM".
Then I asked him, if they also accept PPs for OCI applicants whose docs have reached DC from Delhi... The "Voice" replied.... "I have no idea about that, you can talk to someone between 12:30 and 1:00 PM".
We waited under the tree shade there..... By that time, there were 4 or 5 other applicants waiting for the 12:30 "Darshan" for various reasons related to OCI.
Finally, one of the waiting ladies ended up buzzing and bugging them at 12:35 to have them open the door.
Once inside, no one knew what was supposed to happen and which door will solve our problems......
There were 2 sofas ( 3 seater) and one of the couples managed to try one of the doors and ended up being in the correct office.
Rest of us were waiting and sharing the "Adventures".....
When it was our "Turn", we (I, wife and 3 year old) went in and I explained the reason and showed them the online status and the email response from consulate about pictures. The lady was kind enough to review the paper trail and accepted the new set of photos. I had taken two different sets (5 each) and she picked one set. She wrote on my application status paper that the photos have to be scanned for further processing. I asked her what the next steps were. She said that the photo will be scanned and submitted to Delhi for further processing. The Delhi folks are the ones that accept/reject photos.
As for my Wife and kid, I had a copy of the online status paper and the US PP and the PIO for my 3 year old. She took all of them and told that their stamped PP and OCI will be mailed in a day's time. We were told that they do not issue the PPs in person in the evening.
Then I asked if I could drop my passport in person whenever my docs reached DC and she said it should be fine. I asked her if I needed to have any email response of appointment to submit PP in person. She said that it is not required and I could walk in or mail the PP as soon as the OCI docs reached DC.
I still had a copy of Page-6 from the OCI site, but did not have to use it. Actually, that page is confusing because, they have mentioned mailing as the only option in the top portion of that page whereas on question 16, it says you can "bring or send the US PP".
Well, for now still praying that...
1. They mail the stamped OCIs and US PPs correctly.
2. They do not make me go to some other photo mart and fetch another set of pictures....
Other than that, if you decide to go in person, go between 12:30 and 1:00 PM and don't bother going downstairs. Just go to the main floor and buzz in. When the waiting people organize themselves on their turn, the office to take care of business is the on the left hand side. The second door on the left hand side - to be exact - and has multiple office cubes and a couple of the employees appear to be "Volunteer"-ing to help those waiting outside.....
So far, so good I would say.....
Items to carry.......Original US PP, (Original PIO card, if applicable), Online status page printout.
Good luck to all of us...
V!!
Some updates from my side...... Here are the details... Apologies for the delay...
We went yesterday and first to the downstairs hall and picked a token. It was about 11:35 AM when we reached there. Luckily, the wait was not long and got called within 10 minutes.... Upon seeing my OCI Online status page, the lady immediately said "Nothing to be done here. You have to go upstairs"
Went out and tried to go through the stairs/door to the main floor.... There is a buzzer and some "Divine Voice" from the inside inquired the purpose of my visit. I told him that I have to submit additional photos for my OCI. The "Voice" replied.... "Come back between 12:30 and 1:00 PM".
Then I asked him, if they also accept PPs for OCI applicants whose docs have reached DC from Delhi... The "Voice" replied.... "I have no idea about that, you can talk to someone between 12:30 and 1:00 PM".
We waited under the tree shade there..... By that time, there were 4 or 5 other applicants waiting for the 12:30 "Darshan" for various reasons related to OCI.
Finally, one of the waiting ladies ended up buzzing and bugging them at 12:35 to have them open the door.
Once inside, no one knew what was supposed to happen and which door will solve our problems......
There were 2 sofas ( 3 seater) and one of the couples managed to try one of the doors and ended up being in the correct office
.Rest of us were waiting and sharing the "Adventures".....
When it was our "Turn", we (I, wife and 3 year old) went in and I explained the reason and showed them the online status and the email response from consulate about pictures. The lady was kind enough to review the paper trail and accepted the new set of photos. I had taken two different sets (5 each) and she picked one set. She wrote on my application status paper that the photos have to be scanned for further processing. I asked her what the next steps were. She said that the photo will be scanned and submitted to Delhi for further processing. The Delhi folks are the ones that accept/reject photos
. As for my Wife and kid, I had a copy of the online status paper and the US PP and the PIO for my 3 year old. She took all of them and told that their stamped PP and OCI will be mailed in a day's time
. We were told that they do not issue the PPs in person in the evening. Then I asked if I could drop my passport in person whenever my docs reached DC and she said it should be fine. I asked her if I needed to have any email response of appointment to submit PP in person. She said that it is not required and I could walk in or mail the PP as soon as the OCI docs reached DC.
I still had a copy of Page-6 from the OCI site, but did not have to use it. Actually, that page is confusing because, they have mentioned mailing as the only option in the top portion of that page whereas on question 16, it says you can "bring or send the US PP".
Well, for now still praying that...
1. They mail the stamped OCIs and US PPs correctly.
2. They do not make me go to some other photo mart and fetch another set of pictures....
Other than that, if you decide to go in person, go between 12:30 and 1:00 PM and don't bother going downstairs. Just go to the main floor and buzz in. When the waiting people organize themselves on their turn, the office to take care of business is the on the left hand side. The second door on the left hand side - to be exact - and has multiple office cubes and a couple of the employees appear to be "Volunteer"-ing to help those waiting outside.....
So far, so good I would say.....
Items to carry.......Original US PP, (Original PIO card, if applicable), Online status page printout.
Good luck to all of us...
V!!
linux,
See, there are missing items still..... and not 100% excruciating Kidding..
You are correct..... I asked the lady about that and mentioned that I have already given $20 for mailing fees. She said, that is OK don't worry, we will mail it anyways.... I then recalled all those mails in various threads where people mentioned that these folks send stuff using regular mails et al. Maybe they have "enough" mailing account balance to take care of this.
But, when my status changes and it comes to visiting in person, I will check that once more.... I don't want them to hold on to my PP for not giving them another $20.00.
I also asked if I should carry any receipt/ack for submitting my additional photos and my familys PPs et al. They waved off and said not to worry..... Those are times to really worry about, but had to lean on hope.
Let me know if you need any additional details.
As of today, my application has changed to "Photo/Signature" Scanned - Aug-24-2010. So they did use my new photos. Now, it is upto the Delhi photo processing software to show some mercy.
Good luck to all of us,
V!!
See, there are missing items still..... and not 100% excruciating
Kidding..You are correct..... I asked the lady about that and mentioned that I have already given $20 for mailing fees. She said, that is OK don't worry, we will mail it anyways.... I then recalled all those mails in various threads where people mentioned that these folks send stuff using regular mails et al. Maybe they have "enough" mailing account balance to take care of this.
But, when my status changes and it comes to visiting in person, I will check that once more.... I don't want them to hold on to my PP for not giving them another $20.00.
I also asked if I should carry any receipt/ack for submitting my additional photos and my familys PPs et al. They waved off
and said not to worry..... Those are times to really worry about, but had to lean on hope.Let me know if you need any additional details.
As of today, my application has changed to "Photo/Signature" Scanned - Aug-24-2010. So they did use my new photos. Now, it is upto the Delhi photo processing software to show some mercy.
Good luck to all of us,
V!!
Just found that my status has moved to "Documents Printed on" Aug-26-2010. That is one hurdle (Photo Processing Phase) crossed
Linux,
Any updates in your status? It has been about a week since your docs were dispatched to the mission/office, correct? It should be in this week...
Good luck,
V!!
Linux,
Any updates in your status? It has been about a week since your docs were dispatched to the mission/office, correct? It should be in this week...
Good luck,
V!!
Got a quick question on OCI:
1) Can i apply for both OCI and renunciation at same time? Or does renunciation has to be done prior to applying for OCI. The reason I ask is one of my friends applied for both together and got the entire package back saying you need to do renunciation first. I believe the website says you can do both at same time
2) How to do renunciation without Indian passport? I do not have any history of this as it has been 23 years since I became a citizen of US. I submitted birth certificate issued from Indian municipality where i was born and used that to provide my identity but my renunciation got declined saying cannot be issued because Indian Passport is missing. Is there any other document that I should have submitted (btw i did submit a police report for my lost indian passport as well).
I will highly appreciate answer to #2 so I can get my renunciation done as soon as possible.
Thank you
1) Can i apply for both OCI and renunciation at same time? Or does renunciation has to be done prior to applying for OCI. The reason I ask is one of my friends applied for both together and got the entire package back saying you need to do renunciation first. I believe the website says you can do both at same time
2) How to do renunciation without Indian passport? I do not have any history of this as it has been 23 years since I became a citizen of US. I submitted birth certificate issued from Indian municipality where i was born and used that to provide my identity but my renunciation got declined saying cannot be issued because Indian Passport is missing. Is there any other document that I should have submitted (btw i did submit a police report for my lost indian passport as well).
I will highly appreciate answer to #2 so I can get my renunciation done as soon as possible.
Thank you
Hi ok2oci,
Based on the latest instructions in http://www.indianembassy.org/oci.php (DC Embassy)
1. You can send both of them in one packet. But make sure you give them separate checks for SC and OCI. Here is one of the sections related to item# 1
PLEASE SEND RENUNCIATION FORM, RENUNCIATION FEE AND OCI APPLICATION FEE CHEQUES SEPARATELY, BUT SEND IT TO US IN THE SAME PACKET TO
Embassy of India
OCI Cell
2536 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20008
2. For item#2, here is the section in their site.
Those applicants who do not have Indian passport can submit any other documentary evidence like a notarized copy of birth certificate, educational certificate issued by an institution in India; and land ownership certificate by which eligibility may be reasonably ascertained or a duly notarized affidavit to that effect. The decision of the Consular Officer (deciding your Indian identity) will be final in such cases.
The final statement in the previous paragraph is a killer
Not sure if you wrote a cover letter explaining your situation and why you are not able to submit your old Indian passport. If you did not give them a cover letter with these details, chances are that they treated this as a regular application and went through their "Robotic" checklist and returned.
You can also send an email to ociwashington@indiagov.org explaining them the situation. I would specify the subject as "OCI Application Rejected - Old Indian Passport Related". Quote the steps in the OCI page and ask them if you can submit these alternate docs. If they reply, you can send a copy of that response with your application.
If the email chain does not get any attention and if you are living close to DC, go their 2536 Mass Ave office between 12:30 and 1:00 PM on a working day and go to the main floor and inquire about this. Carry your application and relevant docs and you might be able to resolve this. Don't go to the basement as their objective is to not accept any OCI related paperwork.
Good luck,
V!!
Based on the latest instructions in http://www.indianembassy.org/oci.php (DC Embassy)
1. You can send both of them in one packet. But make sure you give them separate checks for SC and OCI. Here is one of the sections related to item# 1
PLEASE SEND RENUNCIATION FORM, RENUNCIATION FEE AND OCI APPLICATION FEE CHEQUES SEPARATELY, BUT SEND IT TO US IN THE SAME PACKET TO
Embassy of India
OCI Cell
2536 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20008
2. For item#2, here is the section in their site.
Those applicants who do not have Indian passport can submit any other documentary evidence like a notarized copy of birth certificate, educational certificate issued by an institution in India; and land ownership certificate by which eligibility may be reasonably ascertained or a duly notarized affidavit to that effect. The decision of the Consular Officer (deciding your Indian identity) will be final in such cases.
The final statement in the previous paragraph is a killer
Not sure if you wrote a cover letter explaining your situation and why you are not able to submit your old Indian passport. If you did not give them a cover letter with these details, chances are that they treated this as a regular application and went through their "Robotic" checklist and returned.
You can also send an email to ociwashington@indiagov.org explaining them the situation. I would specify the subject as "OCI Application Rejected - Old Indian Passport Related". Quote the steps in the OCI page and ask them if you can submit these alternate docs. If they reply, you can send a copy of that response with your application.
If the email chain does not get any attention and if you are living close to DC, go their 2536 Mass Ave office between 12:30 and 1:00 PM on a working day and go to the main floor and inquire about this. Carry your application and relevant docs and you might be able to resolve this. Don't go to the basement as their objective is to not accept any OCI related paperwork.
Good luck,
V!!
No gc4us - it still says:
Documents Received at WASHINGTON NOT YET
Some more updates (good ones as well)...
The US PP with OCI sticker and the OCI booklets for my wife and 3 year old were delivered by UPS this morning to my home address.
Last week, my wife had sent an email to the embassy asking them if she could submit the PPs in person thro me and the reply from the embassy earlier in this week was...
"Please post your PP to the OCI cell" So much for Right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing.....
As for my file, it has updated to "Documents Dispatched to Mission on 27-Aug-2010"
If linux gets his docs in the embassy this week (today), that will give an idea of how long mine will take...... hopefully...
Good luck again....
The US PP with OCI sticker and the OCI booklets for my wife and 3 year old were delivered by UPS this morning to my home address.
Last week, my wife had sent an email to the embassy asking them if she could submit the PPs in person thro me and the reply from the embassy earlier in this week was...
"Please post your PP to the OCI cell"
So much for Right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing..... As for my file, it has updated to "Documents Dispatched to Mission on 27-Aug-2010"
If linux gets his docs in the embassy this week (today), that will give an idea of how long mine will take...... hopefully...
Good luck again....
Is this changed recently? I remember when I last read the embassy website it said to first cancel the Indian passport and then to apply for OCI.
hi vm,
I think it is one of those "Embassy Objectives or Misson Statement"....... that they should have new instructions every other day......
You are correct, DC used to have "Combined Application", then changed to "SC first and then OCI"..... now they are into "Combined application, but pay separately"......
I think it is one of those "Embassy Objectives or Misson Statement"
....... that they should have new instructions every other day......You are correct, DC used to have "Combined Application", then changed to "SC first and then OCI"..... now they are into "Combined application, but pay separately"......
Hi GC4US,
Thanks for your quick reply. I was about to send my Renunciation form yesterday evening but I couldn't and today I read your post and was completely taken back. I am battling with these people since last week of April and I have seen tons of changes, hope you have also seen the same as I know you were with forum for a while. I am starting a fresh case hope the new case number goes through smoothly.
Thanks for your quick reply. I was about to send my Renunciation form yesterday evening but I couldn't and today I read your post and was completely taken back. I am battling with these people since last week of April and I have seen tons of changes, hope you have also seen the same as I know you were with forum for a while. I am starting a fresh case hope the new case number goes through smoothly.
vm1214,
It is very unpredictable with any paperwork that goes into the consulate. I understand your trouble. Atleast by now, it appears that they are able to turnaround end-to-end processing in 6 weeks time. You should get things done in that timeframe....
Good luck and keep us posted.
It is very unpredictable with any paperwork that goes into the consulate. I understand your trouble. Atleast by now, it appears that they are able to turnaround end-to-end processing in 6 weeks time. You should get things done in that timeframe....
Good luck and keep us posted.
Hi linux,
From your update, you mentioned the Docs HAVE NOT reached DC yet, correct?
Are you undertaking this pilgrimage just to check if they have received it, but not updated the system here?
Carry the current status page and the original PPs.
Good luck
linux,
That is good. Maybe we jinxed the DC processing times by praising/commending their speed....
When you printed your status page, did you print it just when the "Scroll/Marque" message says..... atleast the first portion? Just in case they claim ignorance...
"Please contact the Mission/Office after 10 days from date of despatch or any day after receipt of documents at the Mission/Office, whichever is earlier. "
Let us know the results and Good luck,
That is good. Maybe we jinxed the DC processing times by praising/commending their speed
....When you printed your status page, did you print it just when the "Scroll/Marque" message says..... atleast the first portion? Just in case they claim ignorance...
"Please contact the Mission/Office after 10 days from date of despatch or any day after receipt of documents at the Mission/Office, whichever is earlier. "
Let us know the results and Good luck,
Maybe we jinxed the DC processing times by praising/commending their speed
Seems like we did
My Signature/Photo was scanned on Aug 24. When do you all think I will get OCI granted status?Hello Pauwalla and everyone. Yes, plenty of free parking is available close to the embassy. Just turn right on Belmont St right after the ambassy and you will find plenty of street parking in that area. By the way, my documents were dispatched on Aug 19 and I am also waiting for them to be recieved!