Indian Consulate gouging Candian applicants - High OCI fees
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Location: carl sagan's universe
Posted on: 24-08-07 23:34:00
Hi Surtalme,
Please visit the canindia site:
http://www.canindia.com" rel="nofollow">LINK
and click on current issue and flip to page 7 where Jatinder Dhoot quotes your letter and elaborates further.
Also in the letters to editor section, p.3, your letter has been published.
Hope this provides you enough impetus to take you to the next step.
Quote:
Originally posted by investpro
Hi Surtalme,
Please visit the canindia site:
http://www.canindia.com" rel="nofollow">LINK
and click on current issue and flip to page 7 where Jatinder Dhoot quotes your letter and elaborates further.
Also in the letters to editor section, p.3, your letter has been published.
Hope this provides you enough impetus to take you to the next step.
The response from the Consulate General's office (As reported on http://www.canindia.com" rel="nofollow">LINK website - page 7 by Jatinder Dhoot) is not entirely unexpected, it being the typical famed burea-speak by Indian officials. They talk about saving the service seekers from the uncertainty of frequent rate changes. Maybe these officials forget that we, Indo Canadians, are well accustomed to living and thriving in an open market economy in which prices for things even as mundane as gas change by the hour. If these officials are so concerned about service seekers then they should be doing the right thing by bridging this fee disparity to the satisfaction of Canadian applicants. I am certain that no Canadian applicant will be upset by the prospect of having to pay lower fees and which better reflects the true worth of their Canadian $.
If it is impractical for Indian Government to adjust the fee on daily or monthly basis then the least they can do is review it once every six months or even on yearly basis. The current fee regime for OCI cards in USA & Canada implies an exchange rate of 1 CDN$ = 0.65 USD. I have no idea how did Indian babus arrived at this rate because last time this exchange rate prevailed was in May 2002. The OCI card scheme was launched two years ago and even at that time (in 2005) the exchange rate was approximately 1 CDN$ = 0.83 USD.
Indian consulate officials in Toronto / Ottawa privately acknowledge having received scores of complaints from Canadian applicants on this matter and yet they have done nothing to fix the problem. After all why kill the money making goose that brings in $720,000.00 (or even more) in additional revenue for the government (Considering a conservative 6000 OCI card Canadian applicants per year multiplied by $120 per applicant)? Maybe that’s what is behind the apathy of consulate officials to address this public grievance.
Hi CD's.
The following is the response i got it from CGI...
I guess they are looking our concern as solicitation :-(
rgds
MRK
----------------------message from CGI---------------
Dear Ms. Kannuri,
Please refer to your email of today which, without awaiting our response, you have also sent to the media. To say the least, this is an unusual way of soliciting clarifications.
2. The consular fees in Canada are charged in Canadian Dollars and not US Dollars. The conversion rates are fixed from time to time by the Government. These are not linked to daily variations in conversion rates between US$ and Canadian Dollars. You can well imagine the plight of service seekers if these rates kept changing frequently.
With best wishes,
Yours sincerely,
(S K Arora)
Consul (Inf)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
MK
Quote:
Originally posted by mkannuri
Hi CD's.
The following is the response i got it from CGI...
I guess they are looking our concern as solicitation :-(
rgds
MRK
----------------------message from CGI---------------
Dear Ms. Kannuri,
Please refer to your email of today which, without awaiting our response, you have also sent to the media. To say the least, this is an unusual way of soliciting clarifications.
2. The consular fees in Canada are charged in Canadian Dollars and not US Dollars. The conversion rates are fixed from time to time by the Government. These are not linked to daily variations in conversion rates between US$ and Canadian Dollars. You can well imagine the plight of service seekers if these rates kept changing frequently.
With best wishes,
Yours sincerely,
(S K Arora)
Consul (Inf)
May be you can send them a reply something to this effect:
Quote:
I fully understand that it might be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to change the rates frequently, but you might like to look at two things:
1. What exactly is a comfortable frequency. In my view and I think most others would say a semi-annual frequency is reasonably comfortable.
2. The rates should reflect the market rate, though not necessarily exactly the market rate on that date. As far as my reserch goes, the USD/CAD rate used by your office, it is US$ 1 = 1.5310 which was the going rate in early 2003, when the proposal for OCI was not even finalised. During this period of four long years, the governments have changed in India, and so have the heads changed in your own offices in Ottawa and Toronto - do you think that changing the rate for OCI is more difficult than that?
As an OCI, are we asking too much?
3. At other places, the OCI fee are:
USA - US$ 275 = about CAD 295 at present rates
Australia - AUD 396 = about CAD 345 at present rates
Frankfurt - Euro 240 = about CAD 345 at present rates
For applications filed in India - INR 12,650 = about CAD 315
UK - GBP 165 = about CAD 350 at present rates.
This is considerting the fact that both Euro and GBP are at their historical peak levels.
The fee in CGI Canada is 20% higher than the highest in the rest of the world and about 43% higher than the base rate of US$ 275.
(Note: Mr Satish Mehta, who is a CA himself will be able to audit and vett these figures quoted to me by another Indian CA)
Unquote
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Chandresh
Advice is free – lessons I charge for!!
Quote:I find their response useless and deceptive.
Originally posted by mkannuri
2. The consular fees in Canada are charged in Canadian Dollars and not US Dollars. The conversion rates are fixed from time to time by the Government. These are not linked to daily variations in conversion rates between US$ and Canadian Dollars. You can well imagine the plight of service seekers if these rates kept changing frequently.
Why should the Indian High Commission is Canada be charging fees based on USD, or any other currency?
Is the processing being done in the US?
If so, why - when Canada has such a sizable Indian population?
If not, then the fees should be based on the cost of services in Canada.
Is it really that hard for the HC to estimate the cost of services in Canada?
It may be worth asking them whether their employees get paid in USD or CAD.
And whether they account and pay for everything in USD or CAD.
If not, then why charge resident Indian citizens in USD?
It may able be worth pointing out to them that recently the US Consulate in Canada has adjusted their fees based on the weaker USD - why is it so hard for the Indian High Commission to do the right and honourable thing for its citizens when other countries can do so for total strangers?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Mah deah, there is much more money to be made in the destruction of civilization than in building it up."
-- Rhett Butler in "Gone with the Wind"
Location: carl sagan's universe
Posted on: 27-08-07 14:52:49
Quote:
Originally posted by chandresh
Quote:
Originally posted by mkannuri
Hi CD's.
The following is the response i got it from CGI...
I guess they are looking our concern as solicitation :-(
rgds
MRK
----------------------message from CGI---------------
Dear Ms. Kannuri,
Please refer to your email of today which, without awaiting our response, you have also sent to the media. To say the least, this is an unusual way of soliciting clarifications.
2. The consular fees in Canada are charged in Canadian Dollars and not US Dollars. The conversion rates are fixed from time to time by the Government. These are not linked to daily variations in conversion rates between US$ and Canadian Dollars. You can well imagine the plight of service seekers if these rates kept changing frequently.
With best wishes,
Yours sincerely,
(S K Arora)
Consul (Inf)
May be you can send them a reply something to this effect:
Quote:
I fully understand that it might be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to change the rates frequently, but you might like to look at two things:
1. What exactly is a comfortable frequency. In my view and I think most others would say a semi-annual frequency is reasonably comfortable.
2. The rates should reflect the market rate, though not necessarily exactly the market rate on that date. As far as my reserch goes, the USD/CAD rate used by your office, it is US$ 1 = 1.5310 which was the going rate in early 2003, when the proposal for OCI was not even finalised. During this period of four long years, the governments have changed in India, and so have the heads changed in your own offices in Ottawa and Toronto - do you think that changing the rate for OCI is more difficult than that?
As an OCI, are we asking too much?
3. At other places, the OCI fee are:
USA - US$ 275 = about CAD 295 at present rates
Australia - AUD 396 = about CAD 345 at present rates
Frankfurt - Euro 240 = about CAD 345 at present rates
For applications filed in India - INR 12,650 = about CAD 315
UK - GBP 165 = about CAD 350 at present rates.
This is considerting the fact that both Euro and GBP are at their historical peak levels.
The fee in CGI Canada is 20% higher than the highest in the rest of the world and about 43% higher than the base rate of US$ 275.
(Note: Mr Satish Mehta, who is a CA himself will be able to audit and vett these figures quoted to me by another Indian CA)
Unquote
Quoting the fees in other countries might be counterproductive as the exchange rates are also out of whack with current rates.
I believe that when the OCI fees were fixed, it was based on the USD and the rate for Euro is about 1.14, below the opening rate in 1999. For INR it is 46.
For GBP it is about 1.67. The consulate might counter that if the dudes there ain't complaining (I wouldn't know if they are or not) why are we?
Just as an FYI, the GBP is nowhere near its historical peaks. In my lifetime I have seen it at I GBP = USD2.80. Before that I am told the pound went for 5 USD.
I am told you are in the 50s- you probably also remember when there were shillings around as well and the pound got one 2.80 USD- def you should remember 2.40 in the era of fixed rates and not floating ones(not consequential to the matter at hand- so let's leave it as an FYI).
As another FYI, the Euro may be at an high against the USD but against our sweet CAND it has lost value. Remember the days when it was at 1.70? Not too long ago. Don't know about its value agnst the rupee. Maybe your CA friend can help us out here. Maybe even you.
But the rest is cool. If govts have changed why not rates? And again if the heads at the embassies and consulates have changed (could be read in more ways than one- was that intentional?) why not rates?
Though the consulate is constrained by finance rules to act the way they do, you may like to write to the Minister concerned in New Delhi who can take the matter up with External Affairs Ministry to have a uniform low rate all over the world in terms of one currency.
If you want to do that, following are the addresses. While postal address is same for all, writing an air-mail letter would be most effective as bureaucracy moves on paper. If that is not possible you can try email: not very effective though.
A number of letters and a couple of phone calls is likely to do wonders.
MINISTRY OF OVERSEAS INDIAN AFFAIRS
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
AKBAR BHAWAN
CHANAKYA PURI
NEW DELHI-110021
Telephone No.: 91-11-24197900 Fax No.: 91-11-24197919
Email:
Minister:
Shri Vayalar Ravi
POSITION Minister for Overseas Indian
PHONE(O) 91-11-24676836/37
FAX(O) 91-11-24197985
E-MAIL ID
RESIDENCE 7, Safdarjung Road, New
Delhi-110011
PHONE(R) 91-11-23792148/49
FAX(R) 91-11-23792142
Officers:
Shri Nirmal Singh
POSITION Secretary
PHONE 91-11-24674144 /
24674143 / 24197902 /
24197991
E-MAIL ID
Shri G Gurucharan [Financial Services Division]
POSITION Joint Secretary
PHONE 91-11- 24676210 /
24197916 / 24197917
E-MAIL ID
