PIO Card

on 5th nov pip card is submitted to embassy . i booked 2nd dec tickets ,should i consider applying for visa?any body recent atlanta time frame . thanks

I had made some mistake in the application package of PIO and will be receiving my documents back . Anyt idea how lomg does it take for un-processed documents to come back ?

I am planning to apply for Visa now (instead of PIO and time crunch situation). Please share how long does the Visa processing takes at NY center ? Will I have to apply through CKGS again or Embassy directly ? I can go in person if that would help expedite, but will I have to take my 3 month old minor too ?

We are travelling on Nov 18th, and already booked the tickets. Following is the tracking status. Not sure how long it will take for chicago consulate to send the PIO card. Anyone?
Your application has been submitted at The Indian Embassy for further processing. 10/07/2014
Your application is in process. Your tracking id is USAC70211414 10/06/2014
Your application has been received and will be submitted subject to verification. 10/06/2014

I GOT TRACKING NUMBER FOR PIO CARDON 4TH NOV. I BOOKED MY TICKETS FOR 2ND DEC . ANY BODY WITH ATLANTA EXPERIENCE.

Passport sent by post/courier number FEDEX YYYY YYYY 11/04/2014
Your application has been collected from the Embassy/Consulate and is being sorted. Your application will be ready for collection from our Application Center within one business day. 10/31/2014
Your application has been submitted at The Indian Embassy for further processing. 10/10/2014
Your application is in process. Your tracking id is USAC YYYY YYYY 10/10/2014
Your application has been received and will be submitted subject to verification. 10/10/2014

Very good experience with CKGS
1. Documents reached CKGS SFO on 14th Oct
2. Documents sent to Embassy on 16th Oct
3. PIO card approved and email received on Oct 31st Friday
4. PIO card received on Monday Nov 3rd

Hi,

This site is very informative and gives valuable information when needed. I would like to post my experience with CKGS NY for the whole process of applying PIO card for my 3 month old daughter which in fact is good. It took a total of 5 weeks from the date of submission till I receive the card.

Step by step:
- I have submitted the application on 09/24 via Fedex overnight delivery.
- Received by CKGS on 09/25.
- Application got processed on 10/7 by CKGS and got the tracking id number. Good thing is application got submitted to Indian embassy on the same date i.e.10/7. :)
- From here on it took a solid 3 weeks at the Indian embassy for the application processing. Just to clarify here that 4-6 weeks of time frame mentioned on the website is after the application is submitted at Indian embassy. It can be +/- some more days.
- Received notification "Your application has been collected from the Embassy/Consulate and is being sorted. Your application will be ready for collection from our Application Centre within one business day" on 10/29.
- I followed with CKGS customer support via email and phone to get the status and they are very prompt in replying the email and phone but the hold time on phone sometimes exceeds 40 minutes, so be patient. :)

Documents:
- Sent 2 colored copies of each document just to be on the safer side.
- Sent fedex overnight shipping envelope having the return label pasted on it in the original pack but I think only the return label is required. Make sure to keep the copy of return label since it might be required when your application is ready for pickup, I forgot hence need to followup on phone for the application dispatch.
- Sent only my DL copy as address proof since my wife is not having any US address proof.
- I got my documents notarized from our public library [just to mention not all libraries have notary service in US] but using bank or UPS is also a good option.
- Sent the colored copies for birth certificate and didn't get them notarized, which I think is not needed.

Overall its a good experience with CKGS NY and got the life long PIO card. :)

Thanks..

This forum has been really helpful for me during the PIO process. So I'm posting my experience for the benefit of other users.

We received the PIO card yesterday. I received my baby’s PIO card within 3.5 weeks from the day of mailing the application to CKGS. Overall experience was very positive. Initially the call center folks answered my phone but towards the end of the process I was unable to reach anyone over the phone. However the e-mail inquiries received prompt responses.

The primary gray areas I had in the process were
1. Acceptable address proof for spouse: All the utilities are under my name and I was worried that my spouse had no ‘acceptable’ address proof. CKGS website and call center folks were very particular about accepting only certain documents as address proofs. In the end they suggested me to send whatever document I had and said that it’s under the discretion of the consular officer processing the case. The call center rep also said that sometimes one parent address proof is also sufficient – again, it’s based on the discretion of the processing officer. I sent the gas bill with my name on it and local municipality bill that had both our names on it. I have no idea which one did the magic but I did not receive any queries and we received the PIO card without any problem.
2. Thumb print of baby: This was probably the most challenging part of the application – getting a 6 month old to thumb print in 4 or 5 different places. No two prints looked the same but I read in the immihelp forums that this shouldn’t be a problem, so we mailed the application. I used blue ink stamp to get her to do her prints. Do it when the baby is asleep. Cleaning the ink off the little thumbs was another pain.
3. Notary: I did this at BoA free of charge. The asked me to download a JURAT form which is an extra paper that will have the notary’s will sign on. Both parents need to be present to get the notary done.

I had to apply for my minor son's PIO card and prepared all the documents last week. However, by mistake I sent the application package to Consulate General of India,not realising that I was suppose to send it to CKGS Newyork office. I am trying to call 212-774-0600 no. mentioned on website but unable to connect to both CKGS and Consulate customer care. This is really urgent as I have to travel with my son next month and application has his orginal passport. How can I get back this application ? I am really worried and need urgent help.
 

i submitted my son's application on Oct 17 th personally at CKGS houston. i have the tracking number and it says they submitted to Indian embassy. Can you please let me know how long it really took you all to the get the PIO card since you got the tracking number from houston CKGS. I will be traveling on nov end and still havent booked the tickets. Thanks for help.