PIO and OCI application process

[rghrdr]

I want to understand where PIO and OCI applications are processed. From what I understand, PIO is entirely done at the consulate and hence the turn around time is a little fast. OCI applications are sent to New Delhi where they are processed and once approved, the OCI booklet is sent to the consulate. One of the applicant who I met while lining up at CKGS, New York mentioned that both PIO and OCI are processed in New Delhi. I am a little confused. Can someone who know about the process throw some light?

[priyaseeksoci]

I want to understand where PIO and OCI applications are processed. From what I understand, PIO is entirely done at the consulate and hence the turn around time is a little fast. OCI applications are sent to New Delhi where they are processed and once approved, the OCI booklet is sent to the consulate. One of the applicant who I met while lining up at CKGS, New York mentioned that both PIO and OCI are processed in New Delhi. I am a little confused. Can someone who know about the process throw some light?

How was your experience at CKGS - staff, crowd, waiting time etc...

[ithinksgreen]

PIO application form

I am trying to find the PIO application form on CKGS website, but only thing i could find is the sample application form.

this is ridiculous that they dont even have a valid phone number

[rghrdr]

How was your experience at CKGS - staff, crowd, waiting time etc...

The staff attitude was a mixed bag. I had a 9 AM to 10 AM appointment. I was there at 8:40 AM. There was a long line on the street by that time. At 9:10, couple of CKGS guys came and re-arranged the line. They moved the folks who had appointments to the front of the line. They asked the folks who didn't have appointments to move to the back of the line. The guys from CKGS were like bouncers in a night club. They were announcing that they would not accept anyone without appointments. Couple of folks were complaining on why the web site mentioned that walk-ins would be accepted. At about 9:20, they started allowing folks into the second floor. The sitting area was decent. Many of the employees had no clue of the process. They were reviewing printouts from the web site when an applicant reached the counter. The security guys were handing out waiting numbers on post-it notes.

The printers were not working that well, they had hard time printing out receipts. The people who are accepting the applications seemed to have been very poorly trained. I got out of the building at about noon. They had to call the consulate for some clarifications. Overall, the experience was not that good. I am concerned that I may not see the passports again and I won't be able to contact anyone to check what is going on. On their tracking web site, when I enter my tracking ID, it is saying "No Application exist". Unless you are planning on going to India very shortly, I would hold on until they iron out all the issues. If your travel plans are within the next few weeks, you don't have a choice. I would strongly recommend you to get an appointment rather than walking in.

Many of you would be surprised to know that BLS New York was much better than Cox and Kings New York. I was at BLS two weeks back for a visa. The place was a mess, but they knew the process very well. I got my visa within three days. The attitude of the folks at BLS was horrendous, but they were equipped to collect payments and issue receipts. The receipt tracking was working. I just can't understand how Indian Embassy gave contract to CKGS without examining their infrastructure and system readiness.

[rghrdr]

I am trying to find the PIO application form on CKGS website, but only thing i could find is the sample application form.

this is ridiculous that they dont even have a valid phone number

The application is available on the web site. I see the forms here:

http://www.in.ckgs.us/pio/pio-categories/new-pio-adult.shtml

Please click on the forms hyper link, you should be able to grab an application based on your jurisdiction.