Why the Indian Visa Process Sucks

I’m writing this because I’m tired of putting up with the low standards of systems and process at BLS. Learn from my experience and spare yourself the hassles.

Learn from my experience

I applied on July 2nd with the need for an Indian Business Visa for myself, and a tourist Visa for my wife. We were supposed to leave together on the 17th of July to Bangalore. As per BLS, an SMS is supposed to be sent when the Visa is ready (I haven’t received it till date, and I’m holding the passport with the visa in my hand). It turned out that they needed a missing document from me that the Consulate sent back on July 3rd. BLS decided not to send me any notification till the 12th – when I was panicking and went to their office to inquire.

They couldn’t locate my passport.

Then they pointed me to go to the Indian Consulate. The Indian Consulate of SF is on Arguello and Geary, a few blocks east of the BLS processing center. The lady at the consulate was sympathetic but she said “Our Servers are Down for the last 6 days, so we dont know where your passport really is”. She promised to call me on Monday July 15th.

They located my passport.

The call came on Tuesday, not Monday – 24 hours to go. They located my passport, and one document is missing she said. Contact BLS and you should be all set.

BLS does not have a working phone.

Try calling any of these numbers and they all will give you a busy signal. I never got through. So I went again. Found out that they wanted Articles of Incorporation of the companies you are going to visit. Let me repeat that – its NOT of your company, but the documents of your customers that proves that they are legit business in India. And is that requirement documented on the website? Of course not!

I submitted the paperwork – to no avail.

After a herculean effort by my company and our customers, I managed to procure the right (however asinine) documents overnight. But it was too late. I had to drop my family to the airport and then drive up to the consulate. They took the papers, promised to look into this asap as they understood my situation. I asked if this can be expedited or “RUSH”ed – nope. Its already in the process, and it will be fast they assured me. So can I pick it up on Friday? I asked. No guarantees, but we will do our best they said.

Waiting, Waiting and Waiting

I went again on Friday and waited from 3.30 pm to 8.30 pm. Every hour a batch of completed passports would come in raising the hopes of everyone around me. The process was quite chaotic with everyone crowding around the counter, and passports being called out of order. a majority of the people had exceptions – that meant a catastrophic failure on the part of BLS.

Slowly, the folks who got their passports began to feel like they won the lottery. Everyone was celebrating and happy for ones who got it – it felt like a victory. Not for me. I left at 8.30 empty handed, and redid my flight tickets again. This time, they charged me another $645.

Before I left, I begged the BLS guys – please don’t do this. Get control of your process. Set reasonable expectations. Communicate. The manager promised to call me on Monday.

No call came.

And Finally.

I informed my coworkers that I will plan to spend every day till I get the visa at BLS – morning and evening. I went today to the consulate first, got their confirmation that the passport was done and waited all morning. No dice. Came back again at 4. Finally picked it up at around 4.40. The horrible journey comes to an end.

Feedback to the Indian Consulate – San Francisco

I tried to meet the consulate general when I was at the consulate, and desperate. I was told that he is not accessible. The vice-counsul on the other hand, was available. I was asked to wait for 1 hour without anyone moving a finger to arrange an appointment to the guy who was sitting behind his desk visible from the glass panel. When I checked my email, the junior guy there yelled at me for taking my phone out and asked me to step outside and deposit my phone in the safe. He asked me to hand over my phone and I refused. I asked him – is the vice-counsul in? He refused to answer, and demanded for my phone again. I said I’m happy to give him my phone if I have any assurance that I will not be wasting my time in vain. He had none but wanted to follow the process blindly. I refused and I walked out without complaining in person.

Now I’m complaining to the Internet. Sign my Petition here.

Here are the key points:

Outsourcing does not mean you aren’t responsible

Stop pointing to BLS as the source of your problems. They are the vendor – you own the problem. Fire them and replace them with Travisa or someone else. But make no mistake, you own it.

Backup and Redundancy in IT systems

How many days was the “server down”? Isn’t it ironic that in today’s day and age, India which runs the backoffice of the world has to resort to such a pathetic excuse? have you not considered redundant systems? There is NO other consultate that says “We have no idea how long it takes for your visa, we offer no guarantees, and dont book your tickets till then”.

User Friendliness

PLEASE look at your systems. And no, I’m not talking about the BLS systems before you point that out conveniently. I’m talking about the Online Visa Form that the Govt of India owns. Which idiot wrote this? It does not work in 80% of browsers. The dropdowns dont work. The passport photo that gets uploaded gets thrown away in the final PDF. Why?

Feedback to BLS, the outsourced agency

Make technology work

Your website sucks – it looks like it was designed by a 4th grader. Your phones, emails, SMSs dont work. Your application tracking form has a dropdown for year – that some of us have to click on 40 times to get to our year of birth. Dont take the veneer of technology without really using it – it’s lipstick on a pig. When you look for a status – it should be a real status. NOT “Sent to processing at the consulate” in perpetua.

Train your people better

Your front line folks are untrained. They make mistakes that cost us money. They dont know how to put together the right forms. They cannot handle any situation except a tourist visa. Give them more empowerment than “That’s all I can say as Ive been instructed not to say any more”. Have a Customer Feedback Form. You have our freakin contact info.

Understand SLAs better

No one likes to hear – we don’t know when you will have your visa ready. What’s the difference then between you and us? Have process monitoring metrics in place. Call back people when there are issues. and most importantly, keep your promises: 3 to 5 business days means exactly that. Not, if it doesnt come then its our fault.

Negotiate special terms with Indian Consulate

How can you have a exclusive relationship and not exclusive powers – to determine special cases, and grant visas? Its only a visa for crying out loud – that is good for India as all of us spend money in India and bring dollars in with us. Why is that such a hassle?

 

Born out of personal frustration

Here’s why Im writing this, this whole process was the most frustrating experience for me, and for many other poor souls with me:

• Waste of Time
• Waste of Money
• Waste of Effort
• Mental Stress and Trauma

Waste of Time

The normal timeframe of visas is supposed to be 2-3 business days or 3-5 business days. I submitted by visa application at the San Francisco office at BLS on July 2nd, and received it today – July 23rd. So you judge for yourself.

Waste of Money

Take a look at the fees. They are not cheap. Add to this:

0. Plane Tickets – You have to change or cancel your tickets to accommodate when you get the visa. I spent over $900 in change fees and fare differences.

1. Parking costs – Mostly tickets from over staying – at least $64 – lots of us got this.

2. Gas costs – The BLS office is located so remotely, that there is no public transportation available. Or convenient.

3. Prep costs – Passport photos, document copies etc etc

Waste of Effort

So you are driving from LA, or flying in from Seattle for this? Be prepared to stay more time.

And no, emergencies mean nothing. Not even if your family or relative is dead. Because you see, Servers are down!

Mental Stress and Trauma

Ultimately what this adds up to is a tremendous amount of stress. Here’s why:

1. The BLS office cannot promise any due date on any kind of visa. Period.
2. Tickets bought in advance are your fault.
3. Bringing your family to this office is your fault, and so is keeping them waiting.
4. Waiting for 5-6 hours without any process, queue/line or priority is your fault.
5. Losing the passport is the Indian Consulate’s fault.
6. Finding the passport is because of their great customer centered office.
7. No water – its your fault for not bringing any with you.