Does VFS provide OCI status updates during processing?

One thing that confused me initially was thinking that the VFS tracking page and OCI portal were supposed to show exactly the same information. They didn't.

VFS mainly tracks the application through its service-centre process, while the Government of India OCI portal is the important place to check the OCI application status once it has entered the government processing stage.

I would keep your application number, passport number and VFS reference handy in case you need to make an enquiry.

Also check your email and spam folder for any request for additional documents. If the application has been under process for an unusually long period, you can check the current guidance from the relevant Indian Consulate or VFS centre before contacting them.

I had a slightly different experience. I received VFS notifications when the application was received and when it moved through their handling process, but there wasn't much information about what was happening while the Consulate was reviewing the OCI application.

The OCI status enquiry page was more useful during that stage. Mine showed “Under Process” for quite a while before changing.

If your application has already been forwarded to the Consulate, I wouldn't expect VFS staff to know the exact stage of the OCI review. They may only be able to tell you whether the application is still with the Consulate or has been returned to VFS.

Check the latest instructions for your particular VFS centre because procedures can differ between countries and missions.

In my case, VFS was useful for tracking the application while it was going through their centre, but once it was forwarded to the Consulate, I relied more on the Government of India OCI portal.

My OCI application stayed under process for several weeks, and I didn't receive a detailed update from VFS during that period. Eventually, the OCI portal status changed and I was able to see that the application had moved forward.

So I wouldn't expect VFS to provide a detailed update for every stage of the OCI processing. Their tracking and the government OCI status can serve different purposes.

Processing times can vary depending on the Consulate and application, so I would keep checking both rather than assuming that no VFS update means nothing is happening.