This is in response to recent instances where some unscrupulous agents have taken advantage of Indian community members by charging exorbitant prices for consular services, among other fraudulent activities. Indeed, the mission has gone ahead to explain these measures it is putting in place in a bid to streamline and make easier visa, passport, and other consular services to the Indian diaspora.
According to Binaya Pradhan, the Consul General of India in New York, the Consulate has noted several cases where travel agents have been found to take undue advantage of people by demanding exorbitant charges against the cost of consular services. For example, it is stated that agents charged about USD 450 for issuance of an Emergency Certificate for travel to India when the fee is only USD 17.
He also pointed out that, at times, these agents have filed fictitious documents pertaining to identity, residence, and utility bills on applicants' behalf, even without their knowledge. Apart from leading to unnecessary delays, this also represents a violation of Indian regulations and exposes the applicant to legal liabilities in the US.
He said that the agents mislead people by claiming to have contacts in the Consulate and have caused a lot of trouble to the public through the supply of forged documents and fake certificates. He categorically stated that Indian nationals, US nationals, and Indian-Americans need not go through an agent for availing of consular services from the Consulate, and more importantly, directly said that such agents normally charge exorbitant prices.
The Consulate has also identified some fraudulent E-visa websites that imitate Government of India websites for fooling applicants. Community members are especially advised to seek the official website for making applications for E-visas and avoid such fraudulent portals.
On these, the Consulate has issued an advisory to create awareness about keeping away from such unscrupulous agents, and has put up the official fees for all types of consular services on its website in order to ensure overcharging does not take place. The New York Consulate caters to the northeastern states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont—altogether accounting for a huge part of the Indian diaspora in the US, including more than 113,000 Indian students.
He also informed the use about some of the steps the Consulate has taken in improving consular services, such as digital initiatives like 'Pramit,' 'Bharti Chatbot,' a mobile application, and open houses twice a month for applicants to meet with Consular Officers without appointment.
Against the backdrop of some disturbing incidents of Indian students in the US, Pradhan said there was an additional emphasis on student welfare. The Consulate has set up a dedicated platform to assist students with internships and procurement of legal and medical information. Deputy Consul General Varun Jeph reiterated the need for students to necessarily register on the Consulate's portals so that communication with them would be easier and help could be rushed in emergency situations.
Jeph assured that there is no requirement for using any agents for the services at the Consulate as applicants could approach most of the Consular Services through the Global Visa outsourcing and technology service VFS. He has been encouraging students, community members to directly contact the Consulate, in case they have some problems or have any questions, ensuring a smooth process. He pointed out that of the 1.5 million Indian-origin Americans in the Consulate's jurisdiction, only about 600,000 have OCI cards. The community members should get OCI cards since it gave a permanent visa of sorts and would keep them linked to India forever.
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