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I thought it would be helpful to post my recent experience with BLS International, San Francisco, involving my application for change of particulars to my OCI status due to my change in nationality (Australian to US). There seems to be very little information online about this type of situation.
I was an Australian citizen by birth and have never held Indian citizenship, but my parents were born and continue to be Indian citizens. I applied for and received OCI status in New York in 2006. In 2013, I became a naturalized US citizen. Upon receiving my US passport, I applied to BLS International San Francisco (I now live in LA) in August 2013 to have my OCI visa sticker transferred from my Australian passport to my US passport (they issue a new visa sticker and cancel the old one, I believe) and to have a new OCI registration card issued with my new US passport details included. The form I used was the OCI Miscelleanous Services--Change of Particulars form on the BLS website.
Considering the horror stories I have read online about BLS, I was worried about using BLS's services. However, so far, my experience has actually been decent, although the processing time has been a little lengthy. Please note, I followed other posters' online advice about contacting Mr. Rattan Whig, if there are any problems (in my case I was just worried because of the length of time that had passed and my slightly unusual situation due to a change in non-Indian nationality). I emailed him at [email protected] with a cc to [email protected], and within 2 hours, I received a follow up email from Erlina at the BLS San Francisco office ( [email protected] ). I have since followed up by email with Erlina, and she has been fairly prompt in responding to my messages.
I included the following documents with my application form: 1. Completed OCI Miscellaneous Services--Change of Particulars form (I believe from September onwards you also have to include BLS's own form in addition to the official GOI form, but check the website to confirm). 2. ORIGINAL + copy of Australian passport with OCI visa sticker. 3. ORIGINAL + copy of OCI Registration card. 4. Copy of new US passport and passport's endorsement pages. 5. Copy of US naturalization certificate. 6. Copy of current CA driver's license (as proof of address). 7. USPS Money Order for $32.70 (application fee including BLS processing fee). 8. 1 2X2 passport picture. 9. Self addressed, postage paid USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate envelope + a separate copy of the self addressed, postage paid mailing label.
For all documents above listed as copies, I self-attested them with the following statement, "True copy of [name of document]," followed by my signature. I did not get any documents notarized.
Please note that BLS has it's own tracking mechanism for the entire OCI process available, which is separate from the government of India's tracking mechanism (which only shows you application receipt status, printing status, dispatch status from Delhi to the respective embassy/consulate, and receipt status by the embassy/consulate) available at (case sensitive, and "enquiry" incorrectly spelled).
Please note, to track your documents on BLS's website, you can use either the tracking number for the package you mailed to BLS, your passport number, or (after BLS tracking begins) the BLS "Application Reference Number." On the GOI website, you have to use your passport number AND EITHER your "Online Registration Number" (the number generated on the side of your official GOI application form) OR your "File (Acknowledgment) Number" (generated once you successfully log on to the GOI tracking website for the first time).
Also, to compare other people's OCI timelines, visit http://www.immihelp.com/tracker/oci-tracker .
Below is a timeline that some of you may find useful (all dates are in 2013). Let's hope that I soon receive all my documents in order :
BLS Tracking site
August 16: Mailed in Application via USPS Priority Mail
August 19: Application received at BLS (per USPS tracking, no notification from BLS)
August 26: Processing at Consulate General/Pending Approval of Government of India (this is the date on which I was able to begin tracking my application on BLS's website)
September 13: OCI card received at CGI/Application Pending
September 13: I mailed in my ORIGINAL US passport (per BLS's instructions) by USPS Priority Mail in order for them to place the visa sticker in the passport and matchup the visa sticker with the new OCI registration card
September 16: Processing at Consulate/Embassy for OCI Matchup
September 19: Dispatched via Courier (I received a separate email saying that my package would actually be mailed out the next day on September 20. The email also sstated that I would be getting back my new US passport with the new OCI sticker, my new OCI registration card, my old Australian passport, and old OCI registration card).
GOI tracking website
Applicant Name: [OMITTED]
File Acknowledgment Number: [Generated after logging in to the GOI site for the first time]
Date Of Acknowledgment: 28-AUG-2013
Registration Status at Mission: SAN FRANCISCO
OCI- Number: [OMITTED]
Documents Printing Status: PROCESSED On 04-SEP-2013
Dispatched From MOIA (OCI ): NEW DELHI On 05-SEP-2013
Document received At: SAN FRANCISCO On 14-SEP-2013
I was an Australian citizen by birth and have never held Indian citizenship, but my parents were born and continue to be Indian citizens. I applied for and received OCI status in New York in 2006. In 2013, I became a naturalized US citizen. Upon receiving my US passport, I applied to BLS International San Francisco (I now live in LA) in August 2013 to have my OCI visa sticker transferred from my Australian passport to my US passport (they issue a new visa sticker and cancel the old one, I believe) and to have a new OCI registration card issued with my new US passport details included. The form I used was the OCI Miscelleanous Services--Change of Particulars form on the BLS website.
Considering the horror stories I have read online about BLS, I was worried about using BLS's services. However, so far, my experience has actually been decent, although the processing time has been a little lengthy. Please note, I followed other posters' online advice about contacting Mr. Rattan Whig, if there are any problems (in my case I was just worried because of the length of time that had passed and my slightly unusual situation due to a change in non-Indian nationality). I emailed him at [email protected] with a cc to [email protected], and within 2 hours, I received a follow up email from Erlina at the BLS San Francisco office ( [email protected] ). I have since followed up by email with Erlina, and she has been fairly prompt in responding to my messages.
I included the following documents with my application form: 1. Completed OCI Miscellaneous Services--Change of Particulars form (I believe from September onwards you also have to include BLS's own form in addition to the official GOI form, but check the website to confirm). 2. ORIGINAL + copy of Australian passport with OCI visa sticker. 3. ORIGINAL + copy of OCI Registration card. 4. Copy of new US passport and passport's endorsement pages. 5. Copy of US naturalization certificate. 6. Copy of current CA driver's license (as proof of address). 7. USPS Money Order for $32.70 (application fee including BLS processing fee). 8. 1 2X2 passport picture. 9. Self addressed, postage paid USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate envelope + a separate copy of the self addressed, postage paid mailing label.
For all documents above listed as copies, I self-attested them with the following statement, "True copy of [name of document]," followed by my signature. I did not get any documents notarized.
Please note that BLS has it's own tracking mechanism for the entire OCI process available, which is separate from the government of India's tracking mechanism (which only shows you application receipt status, printing status, dispatch status from Delhi to the respective embassy/consulate, and receipt status by the embassy/consulate) available at (case sensitive, and "enquiry" incorrectly spelled).
Please note, to track your documents on BLS's website, you can use either the tracking number for the package you mailed to BLS, your passport number, or (after BLS tracking begins) the BLS "Application Reference Number." On the GOI website, you have to use your passport number AND EITHER your "Online Registration Number" (the number generated on the side of your official GOI application form) OR your "File (Acknowledgment) Number" (generated once you successfully log on to the GOI tracking website for the first time).
Also, to compare other people's OCI timelines, visit http://www.immihelp.com/tracker/oci-tracker .
Below is a timeline that some of you may find useful (all dates are in 2013). Let's hope that I soon receive all my documents in order :
BLS Tracking site
August 16: Mailed in Application via USPS Priority Mail
August 19: Application received at BLS (per USPS tracking, no notification from BLS)
August 26: Processing at Consulate General/Pending Approval of Government of India (this is the date on which I was able to begin tracking my application on BLS's website)
September 13: OCI card received at CGI/Application Pending
September 13: I mailed in my ORIGINAL US passport (per BLS's instructions) by USPS Priority Mail in order for them to place the visa sticker in the passport and matchup the visa sticker with the new OCI registration card
September 16: Processing at Consulate/Embassy for OCI Matchup
September 19: Dispatched via Courier (I received a separate email saying that my package would actually be mailed out the next day on September 20. The email also sstated that I would be getting back my new US passport with the new OCI sticker, my new OCI registration card, my old Australian passport, and old OCI registration card).
GOI tracking website
Applicant Name: [OMITTED]
File Acknowledgment Number: [Generated after logging in to the GOI site for the first time]
Date Of Acknowledgment: 28-AUG-2013
Registration Status at Mission: SAN FRANCISCO
OCI- Number: [OMITTED]
Documents Printing Status: PROCESSED On 04-SEP-2013
Dispatched From MOIA (OCI ): NEW DELHI On 05-SEP-2013
Document received At: SAN FRANCISCO On 14-SEP-2013
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