Applying for an Indian Visa in the UK: Your Questions and Experiences

Haylo

Lets keep this to visa discussions, if we start getting into residency and tax, it will reduce the usefulness of this sticky thread.

__________________
The world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful - E.E. Cummings, poet (1894-1962)

a_f_d

They have completely disappeared from the HCI website now!
Does anyone have any info on this?

AndyD 8-)#

charlotte

Mr. Bhati at Nottingham ICCI assured me they are having a surgery there in June - not sure of the date as I don't have my dairy at the mo but will look it up soon.

Have just rung up to be told it is on 27th June.

92resolutions

Hey guys, thanks for all of the great info on visa applications in London. I just wondered if you could clarify for me what a Canadian citizen who has resided in the UK for nearly 5 years would need to provide as evidence of residence in the UK for over a year.

I am aware that bank statements and utility bills are valid evidence. However, I have no utility bills in my name and as I have recently moved house my bank statements are addressed to a different place than the one I will put on my visa application.

One site I have seen suggested that UK payslips (with a National Insurance number on them) from between 12 and 18 months ago are valid as evidence of residence. Does anybody know if this is the case?

Thanks very much!

Haylo

You do not need to prove that you have lived at the same address for a year, only that you have been living in the UK.

Submit a 13 month old bank statement with your old address on, and a more recent statement showing the same account number with your new address. This will prove that the old statement is yours and that you have been resident in the UK for over a year.

No, it's not the case, payslips or income tax statements will not be accepted.

Our resident VFS mole clarified the situation earlier in this thread:

bigpigpants

Is this what you are looking for?


http://www.hcilondon.in/schedule.php


Regards

BPP

Haylo

While the HCI are still hosting that page on their server, the link has disappeared from their website.

Don't assume that just because they're still hosting a page, the information on it is still current. Their webmaster is shamefully lazy, and doesn't remove pages, only the links to them.

Obviously they haven't heard of google... If you google "Indian visa london", one of the first hits is the HCI's old visa advice page which STILL tells you that you can get a same day visa from the HCI in London.

charlotte

Bad news re visa surgeries - they are off.

URGENT NOTICE - VISA SURGERY SUSPENDED

Due to unavoidable circumstances the Indian High Commission has temporarily suspended the two visa surgeries planned to take place at The ICCA in 2009.

The first of two dates publicised for a visa surgery was Saturday 27th June. The ICCA strongly recommends that anyone who had planned to attend the June surgery should visit The ICCA offices as soon as possible and obtain their visa via the standard process as detailed below (please note the turn-around times).

old man

Don't assume anything with the Indian Government. Why can't they keep things simple. Do they want visitors or not. Their lazy webmaster should be sacked.
Is there a download form now for postal applications?
Is the newly opened Cardiff office still open? Can't find it on the website.

Haylo

You're okay, it's still there. From the home page click on:

• Submit your application
• Offline application
• Centres

That will take you to the page listing all the Visa Application Centres (VACs) including Cardiff.

old man

Thanks for that.

HollyPea

Hi everyone

My partner and I are leaving for India at the beginning of September - we'll be staying a couple of months so decided to get our visas sorted now so we can check it off the list!

I've been reading through the VFS website and the sticky post on here, but I still can't decide whether to make a postal application or go in person.

Like others, I'm a bit concerned about putting my passport in the post, but from my understanding it's no longer possible to get a visa on the same day - so going in person would entail two trips to London. Is this correct? If I can get the visa same day then I'll definitely go in person.

Apologies if this has been covered before - I did look but couldn't find an answer. Thanks in advance!

HP

Nick-H

Yes... you cannot get your passport in one day, so you would have to make two trips. You should check which regional VFS office would be appropriate; it might not be London!

Please see this thread -->here

...where you will find everything there is to be found about India Visas under the relatively new VFS system. Probably checking out the last ten or twelve pages would suffice.

HollyPea

Thanks, Nick. I made the mistake of starting at the beginning of that thread, but I see all the VFS info is towards the end.

Thanks again

Haylo

As Nick says, same day visas are a thing of the past.

I realise you ideally don't want to post your application, but special delivery is pretty safe, and rest assured it is the only method that VFS will use to return your passports.

You either pay £7.40 and they'll arrange special delivery for you, or you can send them a prepaid SDE (special delivery envelope - £5.05 from all Post Offices) to return your passports in. Giving them your own SDE has the advantage that you can make a note of the tracking number and follow the return of your passports yourself online.