I did an application directly in Melbourne VFS back in March on a Monday and by the next day (Tuesday) the website said it had been processed and sent back to VFS on Wednesday was able to pick up. Very efficient and quick.
Just wish they would issue Visa on arrival for Australian passport holders, for short stay business and tourists, would make it a lot easier to travel and increase their tourist numbers. maybe one day?
Slightly OT, but I'll recall my last experience in India. I hold whats called an OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) card. Its a qausi dual-citizenship scheme, without actually conferring citizenship to India. Essentially you can only get it if you were born in India or have a Father (yes a father only!) that was an Indian Citizen.
It basically grants you entry into India freely, I think if you plan on staying in India for over 12months you need to register at a local police station (i'd love to see the faces of the staff if that ever were to happen..a whole new kettle of paperwork to triplicate). You can hold financial assets, businesses etc..I think the only three things you can't do are:
- Stand for election
- Own Land, or
- Vote
All of which I'm more than happy to avoid..
Anyhow, I've had the card for the past five years, but only travelled using it for the first time last March. They issue two documents when you apply for it. The OCI registration card, which looks like a passport only smaller, with your photo ID in the OCI registration card and which looks like an exact copy of an Indian Visa. The other document is the actual LIFETIME Visa stamp onto a page of my Australian passport.
When I arrived in DEL I proceeded to the OCI counter, showed them my Australian Passport and the OCI Registration. Was knocked back and told to go stand in the Foreigners line. I asked why as I had a OCI card. "no you need to show your visa" was what I was told. Well the problem was, the VISA was stuck at the back of my Australian passport that had expired two years ago! Now I wouldn't generally travel carrying an invalid passport, as that itself can raise eybrows, and this time I didn't have it with me either. But no apparently, If I travel to India I need to hold onto my old passports...
The end result, after some ridicule on my part about needing to show invalid passports, they allowed me to walk over to a desk to the left side of the immigraton counters, and for the equivalent of USD$40 I was issued a 7day (I think) Visa upon Entry. Perhaps because I had my OCI registration with me, this was possible? Either way, I had enough INR with me to pay for it with that. So somehow, in the underbelly of Indian immigration it is possible!