Consul General Prabhu Dayal from the Indian Consulate of New York visited Boston and met with a few members of the Indian American Diaspora in New England to provide information about the services of the consulate and clarify any misconceptions regarding Visa and other services provided by the Consulate. 

“We have outsourced Visa processing to an agency, Travisa. Several considerations including security and threat of terrorist attack has prompted this move. India is not alone in this model. Many countries are doing the same,” says Prabhu Dayal. 

Dayal strongly suggests acquiring a Person of India Origin card. “This makes the Visa a non issue.  The process is not complicated and it can simplify travel,” said Dayal. 

It is also important to understand the different types of visas and their purpose. “People often apply for a tourist visa when they are going to visit relatives in India. This causes problems for the holder since there are some time limitations on re-entry. The “Entry Visa” should be used for this purpose,” says Dayal.

Dayal suggests carrying as much documentation including expired passports that may have the PIO stamp on them and surrender certificate during travel. “While legally many documents are not required, our office has no control of the immigration officer at every airport.  Having all the documents will help smooth the travel process for you.”

Dayal wants people to use email rather than phone for contacting the Consulate. “The fiscal austerity measures imposed by Government of India do not allow us to upgrade our outdated phone equipment. The system has a few problems and calls get dropped. Email is reliable and we will respond to all your emails.”

"I would like to assure all of you that I will try my level best to be as responsive and as supportive as I can.  While I may not be able to address all your needs, I can assure you that if you have a question my office will certainly respond to the question in a reasonable amount of time. If you have any issue with responsiveness please feel free to send an email directly to me via our website at http://www.indiacgny.org/," said Dayal.

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