OCI Renewal Application Stuck at Consulate Review Stage

I renewed my OCI from the UK earlier this year, and my online status hardly changed until the very end.

For most of the process, it simply showed that the application was under review. I contacted the application centre after about five weeks, and they explained that the status messages aren't always updated in real time. A week later, I received a notification that my OCI had been printed.

One thing I learned is not to compare timelines too closely with other applicants. Even when applications are submitted around the same date, processing times can vary depending on document verification, workload, and the individual Indian Mission handling the case.

Mine was submitted through VFS Toronto, and the processing timeline was a little longer than what I had expected.

Around the seventh week, I received an email asking me to upload a clearer copy of one of my passport pages because the scan wasn't readable enough. After I submitted the requested document, the application continued processing and was approved about two weeks later.

If you haven't checked your email recently, including your spam folder, it's worth doing that just in case there's a document request you missed.

I had a very similar experience earlier this year through VFS Houston.

My application stayed at the Consulate review stage for almost six weeks, and I was convinced something had gone wrong because there were no status updates during that time. Then, within a few days, the status changed to document printing and shortly after that it was dispatched back to VFS.

I never received any request for additional documents. In my case, it seems the application was simply waiting in the processing queue.

Unless you've received an email asking for more information, I wouldn't assume there's a problem just because the status hasn't changed for several weeks.