That's just what I was thinking, we don't go till March so we will try one of the Visa Surgeries, that's if they don't cancel them.

Debs

the CGI Birmingham have announced that they are stopping postal applications and only issuing 50 visas a day on a first come first served basis.I wonder if they realise the possible consequences to there fellow country men who rely on the tourist trade.

I notice from their announcement that they say at the top that they will only accept 50 applications on a first come first served basis, and yet at the bottom of the page they say that there should be no need to queue up really early. Surely, if they are only issuing 50 visas you would want to get there early just to make sure that you are one of the 50.

They really do NOT want visitors to Goa, do they!

Bizarrely, the reason they give for discontinuing acceptance of postal application is to 'minimise the crowd and queuing of visa seekers for long hours in adverse climatic conditions'.

Er, excuse me if I'm a bit thick but just exactly how is NOT accepting postal application going to MINIMISE queuing?

We're due to pay our balance this weekend and are seriously considering cancelling our planned holiday.

There are lots of lovely places in the world with great beaches, food and culture that have a more tourist-friendly approach to allowing visitors to enter their country.
Polly

Just a bit of info. I have rung the Doncaster travel agency who the CGI Birmingham have listed as one of the accredited agencies for visas. Really nice helpful guy called Peter who specialises in trips to India. He has applied to be an agent but the consulate havn't contacted him yet to let him know he's been successful yet he's listed on their website....surprise surprise. Anyway - long story short he'll be charging a £10 fee on top of the visa fee and turning them around in about a week (providing he has sufficient numbers.....apparantely the consulate say he has to have at least 10 to send ...). He's off to India soon though and not back until 18 Sep so can deal with any visa applications he gets after that date.

Sim,

It did not cross my mind that a travel agent would also send your visa application off. I thought someone from their office would take them up with other applications. So in theory if your passports etc are sent off for a second time and then returned back to you, it increases the chances of your passport going missing.

Sheila.

Not sure my use of the word send was correct. Never really thought about it. I think he said that someone takes them to Birmingham and has to go back up to 2 days later to collect them but to be honest I didn't go into it much because I can't apply for mine until October cos I need my visa to last until beginning of April. I suppose as some of these agents are not in the same city as the embassy/consulate they may well post them.

Well I have no idea what to do next. I live in North Cumbria and the nearest surgery is hours away. Even then I am not travelling until March 2008 and therefore cannot apply before November 2007 and I dont think any surgeries are taking place after that date.

So I cannot apply to HCI London, Birmingham or Edinburgh.

So how do I get my Indian Tourist Visa for £30?

Or is that figure impossible now!!

Is my only only option to pay more to someone else????!!!

To be perfectly honest I am getting so fed up with all the hassle involved in getting a visa....I am seriously thinking of changing my holiday to another destination.

And I thought Egypt was mad!!!

Spinner I think the nearest surgery to you would be Liverpool which is on the 1st of December. It would be such a shame if you changed your destination as you seem so enthusiastic about Goa.

Debs

I have to agree that this is getting really stupid. I am lucky in that I work 5 mins from the London Visa office but for anyone else, you have my sympathy. In any case, I plan to retire in 2 years time and spend 6 months in Goa so then I will be in the same boat as everyone else.

When the London list of approved agents was first posted there was a company just a few doors from me in the Strand who said he would charge £25 for up to 5 visas but he has mysteriously disappeared from the latest list.

I go to the London office this Friday and will report back on how crazy (or not) it is there. However, there are hundreds of you who would not find going in person to London cost effective and I can only imagine that the tourist business in Goa (and many other parts of India) will start to suffer.

Candybabe

I'm sorry, but I'm still having trouble getting my head around the conflicting information on the HCI website itself anyway. In numerous places it still states that you can submit your application via post, on FAQ and on their telephone line, etc etc., so I wonder what they would actually do it you sent it to them, correctly filled out, with the correct fee and with your SD envelopes.

You would have thought that it would be far easier to deal with application via the post as they can then take their time in issuing, rather than having to do so on the day of application.

Miccie

I have to agree but it is India! Why do something simply when they can make it hard!

Candybabe

The whole thing is a shambles this year but when speaking with people in India on my visits there it's still not half as much hassle as there are subjected to when trying to get a visa to holiday in the U.K. Mabey it's a bit of tit for tat going on. Alan

We have been going to Goa twice a year for the last four years, we time our visa application so that we can go mid Nov and again Feb/March.
We have often wondered why they ask on the application form when we are going and yet seem to ignore the date we give. Surely it would make sense to ask when we want the Visa to start and then date it from then.
This way we could happily apply June/ July/ August when the HCI is quieter.
When we returned home in March we had become a bit uncertain about going back to Goa this Nov, as so many of you have already said things are changing in Goa and not necessary for the better but deep down we knew we would go back. Now with all the problems getting a visa it has really put us off. We are reluctant to use an agent, not just because the passports may go astray but because of all the information we have to give on the application form.i.e. "your mothers and fathers Name and place of birth" etc . Our Passports and this type of information is great for Identity theft!! Its difficult to travel to London and there are no surgeries in this part of the U.K.
As much as we love Goa and as much as we love to go and see the C.W.T. children and treat them to a beach trip, (think we enjoy that more than the Children) and all the toys clothes etc we have in our loft waiting to be taken out we really don't think we will be going.
Hopefully someone in authority will see sense and we will return to Goa but we are not holding our breathe.
HFH

Well what an absolute shambles this is turning out to be.
As the time pushes on nearer to departure dates, I fear someone will come unstuck and loose there holidays through this mindless lot at the London, Birmingham and possibly the Scotland offices.
Can't someone from these offices wake up and see sense and reverse this ludicrous decision.
I guess not, why, because someone out there is making BIG BUCKS.......jxk8

just think of the people who have booked and still think that they can do postal visas....... we in a way.. are the lucky ones because we have the website...if i didnt come on here i wouldnt know about the visa problem !!!!
and would probably send them to london

Jane

I agree - there are potentially a lot of very upset people out there in the future. Let's hope that the travel companies are on ball in keeping people up to date when they make their bookings but somehow I doubt it.

Candybabe

Sidney/Sheila

Now I am confused re the cost of Puja Travels sevices,
very conflicting, my son rang them and they told him £50 per passport, by bankers draft or postal orders, yet in their second email to me they tell me I can pay by cheque.
Help cant take time of work to go to London.
Inger

Candybabe,

When we booked our holiday last week, we asked the girl in First Choice whether she was aware of the problem with postal visas. She and her manager were not aware and until we mentioned it, they had been telling people they could do it by post.

Inger,

I was advised by Puja Travel that cheques were acceptable. I would not be too pleased if I had to pay the tax on the postal orders as well as the administration fee. If they have put their price up, then I will phone around the other Travel Agencies to see how much they charge. I guess another thing I could do is to print off the e-mail Puja Travel initially sent me and attach that to my cheque for £80 (as there is the two of us) and wait for their response.