Where to get your visa
Oct 11th 2007 | 7:24 pm
#1
Thread Starter
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 868
Where to get your visa
Hi All
See lots of crossed threads again, let's see if we can't keep to one on this important subject.
As we all know some of the agents are asking a lot of money for visa processing, so shop around as the High Commissioner says.
It is possible to do some good here as well, we went to the BHAARAT WELFARE TRUST in Leicester, they are a charitable organisation and charge £7.50, Yes £7.50, (though they only charged us a fiver each, plus you can give a donation of whatever you want, they are a registered charity and you get feedback about where your money has gone.
They were incredibly helpful, open and honest about the current situation, I even got to speak to somebody at the B'ham HCI to sort out what was available before coughing up any money and losing it if what we wanted wasn't available.
There are ongoing problems at the HCI and even the agents are being limited to how many they can take at one time, there is also a backlog at the HCI, so no more are being accepted until next week.
I will give the address and phone number for the trust:
15 Loughborough Road, Leicester, LE4 5LJ. 01162 667050 contact is a lady called Rashmi.
E-mail [email protected]
It is only a small office so don't all go at once.
On the list of agents are several "Charities" check if they are registered or what they do and then use them.
Regards
Tony P
See lots of crossed threads again, let's see if we can't keep to one on this important subject.
As we all know some of the agents are asking a lot of money for visa processing, so shop around as the High Commissioner says.
It is possible to do some good here as well, we went to the BHAARAT WELFARE TRUST in Leicester, they are a charitable organisation and charge £7.50, Yes £7.50, (though they only charged us a fiver each, plus you can give a donation of whatever you want, they are a registered charity and you get feedback about where your money has gone.
They were incredibly helpful, open and honest about the current situation, I even got to speak to somebody at the B'ham HCI to sort out what was available before coughing up any money and losing it if what we wanted wasn't available.
There are ongoing problems at the HCI and even the agents are being limited to how many they can take at one time, there is also a backlog at the HCI, so no more are being accepted until next week.
I will give the address and phone number for the trust:
15 Loughborough Road, Leicester, LE4 5LJ. 01162 667050 contact is a lady called Rashmi.
E-mail [email protected]
It is only a small office so don't all go at once.
On the list of agents are several "Charities" check if they are registered or what they do and then use them.
Regards
Tony P
Oct 11th 2007 | 7:54 pm
#2
Forum Regular
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 151
From: Cochin South India / UK
Re: Where to get your visa
Hi All
See lots of crossed threads again, let's see if we can't keep to one on this important subject.
As we all know some of the agents are asking a lot of money for visa processing, so shop around as the High Commissioner says.
It is possible to do some good here as well, we went to the BHAARAT WELFARE TRUST in Leicester, they are a charitable organisation and charge £7.50, Yes £7.50, (though they only charged us a fiver each, plus you can give a donation of whatever you want, they are a registered charity and you get feedback about where your money has gone.
They were incredibly helpful, open and honest about the current situation, I even got to speak to somebody at the B'ham HCI to sort out what was available before coughing up any money and losing it if what we wanted wasn't available.
There are ongoing problems at the HCI and even the agents are being limited to how many they can take at one time, there is also a backlog at the HCI, so no more are being accepted until next week.
I will give the address and phone number for the trust:
15 Loughborough Road, Leicester, LE4 5LJ. 01162 667050 contact is a lady called Rashmi.
E-mail [email protected]
It is only a small office so don't all go at once.
On the list of agents are several "Charities" check if they are registered or what they do and then use them.
Regards
Tony P
See lots of crossed threads again, let's see if we can't keep to one on this important subject.
As we all know some of the agents are asking a lot of money for visa processing, so shop around as the High Commissioner says.
It is possible to do some good here as well, we went to the BHAARAT WELFARE TRUST in Leicester, they are a charitable organisation and charge £7.50, Yes £7.50, (though they only charged us a fiver each, plus you can give a donation of whatever you want, they are a registered charity and you get feedback about where your money has gone.
They were incredibly helpful, open and honest about the current situation, I even got to speak to somebody at the B'ham HCI to sort out what was available before coughing up any money and losing it if what we wanted wasn't available.
There are ongoing problems at the HCI and even the agents are being limited to how many they can take at one time, there is also a backlog at the HCI, so no more are being accepted until next week.
I will give the address and phone number for the trust:
15 Loughborough Road, Leicester, LE4 5LJ. 01162 667050 contact is a lady called Rashmi.
E-mail [email protected]
It is only a small office so don't all go at once.
On the list of agents are several "Charities" check if they are registered or what they do and then use them.
Regards
Tony P
John
Oct 12th 2007 | 1:15 am
#3
Account Closed
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 1,146
Re: Where to get your visa
Hi
After having our visa sent back by indiavisa.co.uk a visa agent who were recommended to us charged us £35 for both visa then sent them back saying they could only get us a 3 month visa Not good.We did it the hard way stood outside the HC
I would recommend what we did today because visa are becoming like rocking horse sh*t
Sorry there is no easier softer route
We queued from 2am this morning at Birmingham and got the visa we required.We have to go back at 3pm to pick them up.If you are going to do this I suggest you get there by at least 3-30am because by this time there was 40 people
The agents are not accepting visa applications if you are travelling within the next three weeks.We had a long discussion with the HC himself who told us they were short of staff due to redundancies.He told us they have a back log 2,500 visa and there is a meeting on Thursday next week with the agents to try and sort out the problems and do some forward planning,as he see's no early solution to the problem, infact he said it will get worse before it gets better
I have to say that the staff were excellent and were seeing people outside of the 50 and issueing visa if they were travelling within the 5 days.They are taking a lot of abuse and this directive has come from Delhi,they were working flat out
So after we have picked them up I am going to bed
hope this helps good luck
Karen
After having our visa sent back by indiavisa.co.uk a visa agent who were recommended to us charged us £35 for both visa then sent them back saying they could only get us a 3 month visa Not good.We did it the hard way stood outside the HC
I would recommend what we did today because visa are becoming like rocking horse sh*t
Sorry there is no easier softer route
We queued from 2am this morning at Birmingham and got the visa we required.We have to go back at 3pm to pick them up.If you are going to do this I suggest you get there by at least 3-30am because by this time there was 40 people
The agents are not accepting visa applications if you are travelling within the next three weeks.We had a long discussion with the HC himself who told us they were short of staff due to redundancies.He told us they have a back log 2,500 visa and there is a meeting on Thursday next week with the agents to try and sort out the problems and do some forward planning,as he see's no early solution to the problem, infact he said it will get worse before it gets better
I have to say that the staff were excellent and were seeing people outside of the 50 and issueing visa if they were travelling within the 5 days.They are taking a lot of abuse and this directive has come from Delhi,they were working flat out
So after we have picked them up I am going to bed
hope this helps good luck
Karen
Last edited by Goacrazy56; Oct 12th 2007 at 1:19 am.
Oct 12th 2007 | 4:23 am
#4
Thread Starter
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 868
Re: Where to get your visa
Hi
After having our visa sent back by indiavisa.co.uk a visa agent who were recommended to us charged us £35 for both visa then sent them back saying they could only get us a 3 month visa Not good.We did it the hard way stood outside the HC
I would recommend what we did today because visa are becoming like rocking horse sh*t
Sorry there is no easier softer route
We queued from 2am this morning at Birmingham and got the visa we required.We have to go back at 3pm to pick them up.If you are going to do this I suggest you get there by at least 3-30am because by this time there was 40 people
The agents are not accepting visa applications if you are travelling within the next three weeks.We had a long discussion with the HC himself who told us they were short of staff due to redundancies.He told us they have a back log 2,500 visa and there is a meeting on Thursday next week with the agents to try and sort out the problems and do some forward planning,as he see's no early solution to the problem, infact he said it will get worse before it gets better
I have to say that the staff were excellent and were seeing people outside of the 50 and issueing visa if they were travelling within the 5 days.They are taking a lot of abuse and this directive has come from Delhi,they were working flat out
So after we have picked them up I am going to bed
hope this helps good luck
Karen
After having our visa sent back by indiavisa.co.uk a visa agent who were recommended to us charged us £35 for both visa then sent them back saying they could only get us a 3 month visa Not good.We did it the hard way stood outside the HC
I would recommend what we did today because visa are becoming like rocking horse sh*t
Sorry there is no easier softer route
We queued from 2am this morning at Birmingham and got the visa we required.We have to go back at 3pm to pick them up.If you are going to do this I suggest you get there by at least 3-30am because by this time there was 40 people
The agents are not accepting visa applications if you are travelling within the next three weeks.We had a long discussion with the HC himself who told us they were short of staff due to redundancies.He told us they have a back log 2,500 visa and there is a meeting on Thursday next week with the agents to try and sort out the problems and do some forward planning,as he see's no early solution to the problem, infact he said it will get worse before it gets better
I have to say that the staff were excellent and were seeing people outside of the 50 and issueing visa if they were travelling within the 5 days.They are taking a lot of abuse and this directive has come from Delhi,they were working flat out
So after we have picked them up I am going to bed
hope this helps good luck
Karen
Sorry a 3 month what visa? What did you end up with? We wanted a business visa but they will only offer 6 months as it is our first application for this type of visa, you try and invest time and money and they don't want to know.
I was told at the charity that we wouldn't get a visa before the end of the month, they said that the management had changed. apparently the 3 year tour was up, so all new managers, who obviously have different ideas on how to do things. They also showed me some very interesting articles in the Asian Voice, one of which suggested that bribes had been taken to process visas quickly for so called VIPs.
Regards
Tony P
Oct 12th 2007 | 4:35 am
#5
Account Closed
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 1,146
Re: Where to get your visa
Tony how do you PM and ill tell you or you PM me and Ill answer you
Oct 14th 2007 | 12:17 am
#6
BE Forum Addict
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 2,941
Re: Where to get your visa
Tony P said
and what was available?
AndyD 8-)#
I even got to speak to somebody at the B'ham HCI to sort out what was available
AndyD 8-)#
Oct 14th 2007 | 6:48 pm
#8
Forum Regular
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 110
From: UK
Re: Where to get your visa
Tony,
I have used the Bharat trust in Leicester this weekend as this is where my wife Bharti applied for her and got her OCI. As you say it is only a small office so can't cope with a massive influx of applicants. Bharti took mine and my daughters passports in on Saturday morning and they said at first that they would not be taking anymore for a week as they had such a backlog. Fortunately as we are not going until December and we live 70 miles away they said that they would take it but it would be about 3 weeks before we would get them back. As you say they only charged a fiver per visa but when we pick them up we will donate another tenner as they do very good charity work in all parts of India.
I have used the Bharat trust in Leicester this weekend as this is where my wife Bharti applied for her and got her OCI. As you say it is only a small office so can't cope with a massive influx of applicants. Bharti took mine and my daughters passports in on Saturday morning and they said at first that they would not be taking anymore for a week as they had such a backlog. Fortunately as we are not going until December and we live 70 miles away they said that they would take it but it would be about 3 weeks before we would get them back. As you say they only charged a fiver per visa but when we pick them up we will donate another tenner as they do very good charity work in all parts of India.
Oct 20th 2007 | 3:25 am
#9
Forum Regular
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 71
Re: Where to get your visa
Does anyone know if there are any agents in the Co. Durham area. Many thanks
Oct 20th 2007 | 3:31 am
#10
Forum Regular
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 71
Re: Where to get your visa
Does anyone know if there are any agents in the Co. Durham area. Many thanks
Dec 12th 2007 | 2:17 am
#11
toni
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 53
From: chester uk
Re: Where to get your visa
hi my husband sorted ours out with a company called skylark travel services, it cost 40 quid for the visa and u have to send them recorded post both ways so it cost us 42 pound each all together and it took 7 working days. i know they have now reopened the postal applications again at the embassy but it will still cost you 30 pound for your visa and 5 each way special delivery and you will have to wait 15 days at least so skylark i would definately recommend
