Re: Visa help.
 

I know people who had 1 year T without the 180 day stamp, registered and stayed the whole year. One in particular has just returned after 2 months out and another is leaving next week. Haven't heard of any more being issued yet.

Re: Visa help.
 

This is the number:
Copied from a thread on Trip Advisor
Have found a non premium rate number for VFS - Visa ”


020 7811 3976

There is a website called "Saynoto0870"


http://www.saynoto0870.com. Click on the link at the top left "Search to find an alternative number" and then put in the number or company name. So, I put in the premium number and it gasve me the number above. I have phoned it and it is VFS customer services.




I use this website all the time, as, at home I get free local and national calls but not to 08* or 09* - so when phoning the gas board or any local rate call that starts with 08* I search for the 0161 number or 0121 number if you get my drift.




So, hope this helps all those having problems with Visa's


1. Re: I have found a non premium rate number for VFS - Visa

020 7836 8484 - is Indian High Commission, London, United Kingdom




020 7811 3976 - is VFS Global




The premium rate is (09057570045) so at 95p a min, I would advise you start using the above.

Re: Visa help.
 

I was thinking of going back for a holiday in March as I miss the place a bit even though we had a terrible time last year disposing of our flat. However just seen the new visa fees and at £66 a pop I think thats just put the tin hat on it. Dont know about anyone else but the average joe just aint going to pay this along with expensive flights. What a surprise those fees were to me.

I know I should visit the site more!!!!!lol

Re: Visa help.
 

I'd be the last person to encourage you to revisit the location of so much personal misery, but where are you getting "£66 a pop" from?
Look here for correct costs....

http://in.vfsglobal.co.uk/touristvisa_fees.html

Still too much though as the destination and flights are nowhere near cheap anymore.

Re: Visa help.
 

Think swmbo sent me an agency email for processing.

Re: Visa help.
 

:confused::confused::confused::confused:


.

Re: Visa help.
 

I have a visa at the moment that runs out mid Dec and want to get a new visa so that i can go at the end of Nov and stay through until end of Jan can i get a Visa while the one that I have is still valid?

Re: Visa help.
 

No you have to have a gap of 1 month from when your old visa expires.

Re: Visa help.
 

I wouldn't be to sure that you are all going to get 6 month visa's in the UK.
In Bangkok they are handing out 3 months (then the mandatory 2 months out)..someone even got 1 month. NO REFUND!!!

Re: Visa help.
 

I had a business visa last year i did some promo work for a UK company and will be doing the same this year

Re: Visa help.
 

If it's at least two months since you left India you can try for a new visa - write a covering letter asking tham to cancel the current visa. Best if you can attend VFS in person - they will know current practice (the one-month rule is supposed to be cancelled).

AndyD 8-)#

Re: Visa help.
 

The one month rule at is not cancelled. Long termers are simply not wanted in Goa and so they will make it more and more difficult until it's time to call it a day come to your senses and go elsewhere.

Re: Visa help.
 

Surely it's not just Goa - what about Kerala / Pondicherry and other places - there must be ExPats (& not just British) experiencing the same problem all over India.

It's beyond me why the Tourism Depts of the various states don't pull their resources and put up a case against these relatively new visa restrictions - or am I being too simplistic in my thinking?:confused::confused:

Re: Visa help.
 

This is not about long-termers, just about the 1-month rule (and it isn't helpful to suggest that long-termers go elsewhere when those with property can't sell it!).
The 1-month rule is still mentioned on the MHA FAQ but there have been several reports that it is cancelled, and quite a few posts of people being issued with new visas (after the min. 2 month gap) by asking for the earlier visa to be cancelled.

AndyD 8-)#

Re: Visa help.
 

Andy many thanks for keeping us on our toes, with this difficult subject.

Re: Visa help.
 

You are correct Andy, the one month rule was cancelled about 6 months ago.I know a number of people that have got a new tourist visa straight after their old one had expired.Whether this applies if you apply outside of your resident country i'm not sure.

John

Re: Visa help.
 

But if you leave India close to the end of your visa, then you can't come back in for the 2 month "cooling off" period, even if you now apparently can apply for a new visa before the original one month waiting period?

Now I'm getting really confused!!! or perhaps "senile" would be more appropriate.:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

Re: Visa help.
 

About 3 months ago, an English couple got 6 month multi entry visas in Bangkok, no questions asked, but they had been out of India for 2 years.:thumbsup:

Re: Visa help.
 

That's correct you can have a brand new visa stamped from the day you received it but your not allowed into India....now can you see the sense in that??

Re: Visa help.
 

2 weeks ago they gave someone a 1 month visa in Bangkok!

Re: Visa help.
 

You still can't return for 2 months. Visas run from date of issue.

Re: Issue of British Passports in India
 

I came across this Foreign Office announcement re the issue of British passports in India today:

http://ukinindia.fco.gov.uk/en/news/...sR&id=22599838

Key points - all applications now routed to Delhi and now processed and printed outside of India - emergency travel documents can be issued at certain consulates, inc. Goa.

Re: Issue of British Passports in India
 

The way it's looking there won't be anyone in Goa long enough to have a passport processed in Hong Kong.
Just another hurdle to make life harder for the British.

Re: Visa help.
 

:wub::wub: Postal Visa application returned to-day because we down loaded the wrong appliction form from HCI site - now you WOULD have thought that this would be correct. :rofl::rofl: silly us

You must down load the new application from from the VFS site.

Re: Visa help.
 

or better still fill it in online...

AndyD 8-)#

Re: Visa help.
 

They're now limiting the days you can make an appointment to deliver in person (at least to the Victoria London offices) - there are only 3 "available days" to make an appointment this week - nothing for next week or the following week. In the past I'm sure it used to be about 2-3 weeks available for advance booking....................

Re: Visa help.
 

Are you convenient to hayes? Always dead when I`ve been there!Found the appt system at Victoria a farce! Even if you make an appt you still take a no. and sit in line waiting- as you do if you haven`t made an appt but a different set of nos.!J

Re: Visa help.
 

I've heard that too about Hayes, but Victoria is more convenient - only 4 stops on the tube.

I agree about the appointments system - it sounded great the first time VFS took over - an appointment at 0830- yippee! only to find everyone else queueing had the same appointment, and, as you say, you still need to take a ticket & wait your turn. But I have to say, it was quick, I waited outside for about 15 minutes, & was back out again just after nine, and this has happened each time since. And pleasant, intelligent people to deal with - not like the old days at the H/Comm in Aldwych. I'm surprised that system didn't put people off going to "Incredible India".

Re: Visa help.
 

Even with an appointment I go to Victoria prepared for a wait with a book and a bottle of water however I have never been in there for more than an hour.

Re: Visa help.
 

Hah! soft southerners - in Birmingham they regularly had to call the police to stop the rioting in the queue!

Andyd 8-)#

Re: Visa help.
 

I remember the days when the queue in Birmingham was from 5 a.m. and as you say, things occasionally got very nasty when they turned people away. Now there is less shoving and pushing. This time got the 1 year T Visa with 180 max stamped in it. The process was fairly painless, have to say, but slowish for my husband who has a non UK passport ( 9 working days to process). Collected in person so that did not lose time with the post.

Re: Visa help.
 

Emailed Hayes this morning and had a reply in 5 mins. I call that good.:D

Re: Visa help.
 

Lucky you! preferential people who even get upgaded free on BA. x

Re: Visa help.
 

Miaow! :p

Re: Visa help.
 

Hi all - just an update on the above - I checked last Thursday 21st, and sure enough, only Friday 22nd was available for making an appointment.

I checked again yesterday, and OMG - the next 2 weeks were miraculously available!!!

Mad scrabble to find our passports and the Reference Numbers we had jotted down carefully when we applied online (as we haven't access to a printer till we return to UK on Monday 1st Nov), and requested our appointments for Tuesday 2nd Nov.

Yippee! Both appointments confirmed for that date.:thumbup:

Downloaded the appointment letters, and they are both for 13.00 hrs:thumbdown:

Had hoped that by getting them in first thing on Tuesday morning, they might JUST be available for collection on Thursday afternoon, as Friday is closed for the Diwali holiday. BUT I should have realised that nothing is simple when dealing with India - yet another all-too-frequent senior moment!!

Will just take our chances and turn up at 0815, get our tickets and queue up & hope for the best..................

Just on a lighter note, a couple of Christmases back when in Goa, Naz the owner of the coffeeshop Chocollatti in Candolim was selling some delightful Christmas Cards printed from Goan kids' paintings, so I bought a bundle. I noticed that the proceeds were going to the Indian "Help the Aged" - great cause - I thought at the time. Now I'm wondering if I might qualify for some of that help, 'cos India has certainly "aged" me - especially in the past 2 years:banghead::banghead::banghead:

Re: Visa help.
 

The first year they started the new system we applied on line and went to Victoria with our passports and back again a week later to collect them. We were lucky to be gived a 1 year visa. This was ok but rather time consuming.
Since then we have applied on line and posted out passports using special delivery to Hayes. We pay for them to return them to us by courier, it usually takes a maximum of two weeks and for the past two years we have again been given 12 month visas.
This works a lot better for us as we dont have to go in person any more.

Re: Visa help.
 

Good luck!:fingerscrossed:

Re: Visa help.
 

Hi All,
a bit of help required please


Currently applying for three tourist visas' by post to Hayes, Middlesex.
Now do i have to to include a separate postal order for each application or
will one postal order do to cover all three(all from the same family)?

Have scanned through the website but can't seem to find anything on this also checked through FAQs but no joy. Surely one postal order will suffice, will it???

Regards,
Remy

PS. I know you can pay online but have had bad experiences with this sort of thing before online and would rather send postal order with postal applications, thanks.

Re: Visa help.
 

Hi - I've just applied through Hayes and I have included all on one postal order.

Re: Visa help.
 

Thanks Heidigirl, :fingerscrossed:

Have you done this before (one postal order for all)?
I usually go to Indian Embassy Dublin but its working out way too expensive to do it this way now.
Also Phoned the India Consulate Office Belfast to see if i could submit applications through their office......but the girl i was talking to didn't even know what day it was.:rolleyes: