Hello everyone,

I was recently researching on acquiring OCI (Oversear citizen of India) and found that in canada OCI fees is $421 per applicant. You will be surpised to know that Indo- American applicants pay only USD 275 per OCI application!! Here is a link to Consulate General of India website in Chicago conferming USD 275 fee for OCI applicants.

http://chicago.indianconsulate.com/Dual%20Citizenship.htm#Fee,_Mailing__Fee__and_Mode_of_Payment

With current exchange rate of 1 cdn $ = 0.93 USD, we should be paying CDN $300. Instead Canadian applicants have to pay $421! For a family of 4 applicants, this translates into additional $480. I have sent an email to Canadian High Commissioner in Ottawa and of Indian Consul General in Toronto. The email is reproduced below. I would request each and everyone of you to sent similar email to Indian High Commssioner & Consul General. The email addresses are given below.

This descrimination must stop!

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To:
CC:,,

date Aug 20, 2007

subject Unjust high OCI Fees being charged from Canadian applicants


Mr Satish C. Mehta
Consul - General
Consulate General of India
Toronto ON

Dear Mr Mehta,

I am a Canadian citizen of India origin living in Toronto. Recently I was researching into acquiring Overseas Citizenship Of India (OCI) for myself and my family. While researching your website http://www.cgitoronto.ca" rel="nofollow">LINK I found that the per applicant fee for OCI is $421.00 in Canadian funds. Incidental few months back, my brother who is a US citizen of Indian origin and resides in Chicago, acquired OCI for himself & his family. I was surprised when he informed me that he paid only USD 275.00 per applicant for his OCI application. I further confirmed this by going to the web site of Indian Consulate in Chicago

http://chicago.indianconsulate.com/Dual%20Citizenship.htm#Fee,_Mailing__Fee__and_Mode_of_Payment:

As you must be aware the current CDN : USD exchange rate is approximately 1 CDN $ = 0.93 USD. This means on parity basis, the OCI fee for Canadians should be approximately $300 in Canadian funds. By charging more fee (approximately $120 more per applicant) to Canadian applicants, I feel that we are being discriminated against and put into a disadvantageous position vis-a-vis American applicants. As an example, a family of 4 applicants from Toronto will pay CDN $ 480 ($120 * 4) more as compared to a family of 4 applicants from Chicago. We have a large Indo- Canadian community in GTA and many Indo-Canadian applicants (including myself), who would like to acquire OCI, are not being able to do so due to this additional unjustified financial burden.

I would request your office to re-examine the OCI fees paid by Canadian applicants and bring it in line with the fees charged by Indian Consulates in USA. As an alternate, your office should allow Canadian applicants to pay the OCI fee of $275.00 in USD funds.

Awaiting your response to this urgent issue.

Sincerely,

A concerned Indo- Canadian

CC: High Commissioner of India, Ottawa

The email IDs are:

To: cgindia(at)cgitoronto.ca

CC: hc(AT)hciottawa.ca, consular (AT)hciottawa.ca, consusec (AT)cgitoronto.ca

Hi Surtalme,

Do I have your permission to send the letter to a South Asian English Language weekly.

Perhaps you would like to send it in.

Here are a few email ids:

"editor@canindia.com"

"info@weeklyvoice.com"

"srao@southasianfocus.com"

They can make changes. I do know that when they took up the issue of passports getting lost in the mail, appropriate steps were taken by the consulate and now I believe the process is smoother.

However, there is a section in the link you gave that non-US citizens will be charged $295. Worst comes to worst- you can apply at that rate.

Yes please do. That would be awesome. Go ahead.

Quote:

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Originally posted by investpro


However, there is a section in the link you gave that non-US citizens will be charged $295. Worst comes to worst- you can apply at that rate.

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Kudos to your initiative surtalme.
This is the attitude we need to at least attempt at making things happen be it here or in India.

Nice and thanks

b

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Bombay State of mind
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I know somebody who works in the CGI,Toronto and he has told me that they receive dozens of complaints on the OCI fees and direct them to the High Commission in Ottawa.

The HC in Ottawa turns a deaf ear too all complaints and does not even bother giving an explanation on why the fees are higher in Canada. So, I would not be surprised if you do not receive any response to your email.