i agree & i am not against starting a new thread....the existing thread here is about people who have either applied, are applying or will likely apply for indian visas in the future....it is more likely that such a thread will be read by more people since they have already subscribed to that thread....specially since the last few posts are about the transition from the old company to the new one....

fair enough....glad you got the answers you were looking for & looking forward to a review about your experience with bls....

Thank you for pointing this out. That is part of the reason I started my own thread.

BLS International - Washington, DC
 

I read many reports on fodors.com about the new outsource firm for processing a visa to India. Most of the reports were not good.

My Fiance and I want to go see the Taj Mahal before she comes to the US so I decided to bite the bullet and move forward with getting the visa in the USA since it appears that I couldn't get it in Singapore.

Here, I will chronicle my experience in applying for a 6 month/multiple entry tourist visa.

220 I St. NE, Washington, DC
The office location is not too far from Union Station. The office itself is spartan. The sitting area for visa applicants consists of a few rows of individual low end chairs. There is a counter that divides the room at which the employees sit facing the waiting area. [Will take pictures on my next visit, if someone doesn't beat me to it.]

Day 0: 11 September 2013 - Wednesday
MORNING:
Turned in passport along with application form, supporting docs and
money [USD$67.70 in fees]. Received receipt with tracking number.
Confirmed 3 - 5 working days for turn-around. Employees that I interacted with
were helpful, pleasant and followed the rules - no complaints.
EVENING:
Tracking status: underprocess

Day 1: 12 September 2013 - Thursday
MORNING:
Tracking status: underprocess
AFTERNOON [16:00 EDT]
Tracking status: Processing at Embassy

Day 2: 13 September 2013 - Friday
NIGHT [23:00 EDT]
Tracking status: Processing at Embassy

14 & 15 September 2013 Saturday & Sunday
NOT WORKING DAYS - NO CHANGE EXPECTED

Day 3: 16 September 2013 - Monday
Tracking status: Processing at Embassy
NIGHT [23:00 EDT]
Tracking status: Incomplete/Incorrect Data

Day 4: 17 September 2013 , Tuesday
Retrived passport
Process terminated at my request.


Initially I had an ok impression of the BLS International office in Washington, DC. However, that opinion has changed.

No one answers the phone 202-733-5217. I called several times and no one would answer not even voicemail. When it does roll over to voice mail, one is notified that the voicemail inbox is FULL.

The helpline 1-888-683-7830 does answer with a recorded message and if you hold long enough a person comes online. That is the extent of the good news. I informed the CSR who answered that the DC number does not answer. The CSR categorically stated that the DC number transfer to the helpline. I again stated that it does not and he was free to call for himself to verify. He just repeated that the DC number transfers to the helpline. When I asked to speak with a Supervisor, he stated that none were available on the floor. When I asked for a BLS International corporate number, he stated that there is no such number [or at least he did not know of such a number] and that all complaints should be directed to the helpline. I again informed him that I was calling the helpline and that I wanted to speak with someone in charge he reverted back to no supervisors are available on the floor. No offer to take my name and number so that a supervisor could call me back; no offer to wait on hold until a supervisor became available.

Unfortunately, I have run out of time and need my passport for other travels. I won't be going to India anytime soon [not because I don't want to go, or because of BLS International, per se, but because I could not get the visa in a timely manner]. Well, maybe next time - hopefully the Taj Mahal, et al will still be worth seeing at that point.

I made an appointment to bring a non-US passport for visa on 9/11 in NYC.
waited in line a bit - as expected, they checked all the docs - everything was in order.
I received a ticket with number which was called in about 60 seconds.
Turned in the docs and the money order - i missed that I can pay in cash - could have saved a buck.

Status changed from processing to ready for pickup sometime between 9/13 and 9/14

I had a similar experience in NYC.
I waited on line outside for about 45 minutes, despite arriving almost an hour early. They let people up the elevator about 8 at a time.
When I finally got upstairs, I had to wait on another line for about another half an hour.
When I reached the counter, my documents were inspected, and I was given a number and told to have a seat in the next room. I waited another 1/2 hr. there.
When they called me, I paid (if I remember correctly) $67.70 in cash. They gave me a receipt with a number on it, and told me to check the status of my application on their website by entering this number.
In less than a couple of weeks, I logged into the site, and it said "ready for collection".
I went back to the BLS office in Manhattan, and again had to wait on line outside for about 1 hour this time. I repeated the whole process as described above, only this time I had a spanking new Indian visa in my possession when I left. I was happy as a kite, and glad that the ordeal was over!

Why did the status change to "incomplete/incorrect data"?

I cancelled a three-person visit to India this week because another person could not get the passport with visa back in a timely manner despite the Indian government issuing the visa within 24 hours of application receipt by the Indian consular authorities. Apparently BLS wanted to wait to fill up one big suitcase with passports before doing anything in at least one direction with the applications for visas. I suspect that BLS's $50-200 "savings" from this kind of approach cost India way more money than what BLS "saved".

So the process worked smothly for you - so why call it "ordeal"?

(is the process you just described more difficult than one to obtain US visa?)


BTW: from most account, BLS has lot of service issues (unrelated to actual Visa processing by the Consulate)
but your seem to have gone very smoothly

I agree - not sure what "ordeal" joer found in my post. The only negative experience was with the "doorman" that operates the elevator (human operated). He refused to let a woman go to the 5/6 floor for visa unrelated issue while he kept saying "visa is only after xx hour". I got in a bit of an argument with him.

From BLS perspective I was very happy with the process given I was doing it for someone else's passport.

Compared to the way it usually works for US citizens getting a visa to any of the other G20 countries, excepting Russia, that require a visa for tourism purposes, getting an Indian visa is more of an ordeal.

how about experience of getting Chineese or Brazilian Visa? INmy limited exoerience, all three have its own idiosyncracies.

Most G20 countries dont require short term tourist visa from US citizens because US is equally nice to them.

Have you ever tried getting F1 US visa in India? (Some unpleasant memories unfortunately stays with you even after 30-40 years) In about 12+ occassions, never found getting Indian Visa in US anywhere as idiotic and cumbersome as that US visa in India. Now that was an ordeal (for no sane reason)

I read that VOA (Visa On Arrival) will be extended to several countries but I was not able to find when it is supposed to be effective. Any news?

they are still at announcement time. Giving the visa issual has had its fair share of changes and regulations in the past two years and this is a big change, i think it will probably not be effective before mid-to-late next year.

Thanks for the information ^
We are booked for a week in India mid-April, I guess we'll have to go through the good old visa process! :p

I have a question about the Employment/Occupation section of the Visa application and have been given three different answers by Visa expeditor companies. I am retired, which is in the dropdown menu, but the form also requires something in the employer name and address field. I have been told just to put "retired" for name and address; to put my former employer info there; or to put retired for employer name but my home address for the address. Does anybody know for sure?