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I'm applying for an e-OCI card for my 9-year-old son from the UK after we became British citizens earlier this year. We completed his Indian passport surrender process first and then submitted the OCI application through VFS London.
Our application was accepted by VFS about five weeks ago, and the online OCI status initially changed to "Acknowledged." A few days later, I noticed the application status showed "Under Review," and it has remained there ever since. I haven't received any emails requesting additional documents, and the VFS tracking simply says the application has been forwarded to the Consulate.
For the application, we submitted my son's British passport, birth certificate, surrender certificate, both parents' current passports, proof of address, photographs, and the parental declaration forms. We double-checked everything before sending it, so I'm not sure if the review status is just part of the normal process or if it usually indicates that someone is verifying additional details.
We're planning to travel to India during the school holidays in a couple of months, so naturally I'm getting a little anxious. I've searched online but found mixed experiences. Some parents mention their minor's e-OCI application stayed under review for several weeks, while others say their status changed directly to "Granted" without any intermediate updates.
Has anyone recently gone through this with a minor OCI application? How long did your application remain under review, and did the Consulate ask for any extra documents before approval? I'd really appreciate hearing recent experiences because processing timelines seem to vary.
We had almost the same experience with our daughter's OCI application through VFS Birmingham earlier this year.
The application stayed on "Under Review" for close to four weeks, and we were worried because nothing else seemed to happen. We didn't receive any requests for additional documents, and customer support simply advised us that the application was still being processed.
Eventually, the status changed directly to "Granted," and we were able to proceed with the remaining steps. Looking back, the review status didn't mean there was a problem with the application. It just appeared to be one stage in the internal processing.
Every application is different, but based on our experience, I wouldn't assume there's an issue just because the review stage seems to last a while.
Our son's application from Canada took a little longer because the Consulate requested a clearer copy of one parent's proof of address.
Until that request came, the application also remained "Under Review." Once we uploaded the replacement document through VFS, processing resumed and the OCI was approved about two weeks later.
If you haven't received any communication asking for more documents, that's generally a positive sign. I kept checking both my email inbox and spam folder because that's where the request eventually arrived in our case.
Requirements and timelines can differ depending on the Consulate, so I wouldn't compare every application directly.
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We recently completed a minor OCI application in Australia, and the status terminology was a bit confusing.
The application stayed under review for several weeks with absolutely no updates. I contacted VFS, and they explained they couldn't provide details while the application was with the Consulate.
In the end, no additional documents were requested. The next update we saw was the approval itself.
One thing I'd suggest is checking the OCI status page every few days rather than multiple times a day. Processing often happens behind the scenes even when the tracker doesn't appear to change. Also, avoid making travel plans that depend entirely on the estimated processing timeline because individual cases can vary.