India consular delays caused by errors related to application payments
Indian High Commissioner to New Zealand Neeta Bhushan has rebuffed criticism on social media regarding delays in consular services provided by the Indian mission in Wellington and the
new consulate general in Auckland
.
Kiwi Indians have been increasingly critical on social media of delays they have encountered in receiving consular services such as passport renewals and visa applications in recent months, especially if refunds were involved.
Speaking at an event in Auckland on Friday to welcome Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita, Bhushan said many applicants in the top of the North Island were mistakenly sending fees accompanying their applications to Wellington.
"We are facing a major problem in providing timely and efficient services," Bhushan said.
"There are a large number of applicants living in Northland, Auckland and Waikato who should send their applications along with the relevant fees to the consulate general in Auckland, but they are not doing that.
"While they send their applications to the consulate in Auckland, they send the fees to the Wellington mission.
"Later they realise their mistake and ask for refunds. ... We have no problem in doing that - it's our duty - but it delays the entire process.
Neeta Bhushan is India's high commissioner to New Zealand.
Photo:
RNZ / Blessen Tom
Bhushan said about half of her staff's time was being spent on processing refunds.
"In the last month alone, we have refunded about $100,000 to applicants. If you add the last three [or] four months, the amount of refunds we have issued would cross $400,000," she said.
"More than that, we are not able to provide timely services to those applicants."
As reported earlier, the Indian consulate in Auckland offers services related to passports, Indian citizenship, attestation of documents, police certificates, birth and death certificates, liquor permits and non-resident Indian certificates, among other things.
It also issues necessary certificates for the repatriation of deceased individuals' remains or ashes to India.
The consulate's jurisdiction covers Auckland, Northland and Waikato.
Madan Mohan Sethi, consulate general of India in Auckland, said the situation would improve once his office was fully staffed in a few months.
"All efforts are being made to streamline the processes at our end," Sethi said. "We aim to start providing all consular services here in Auckland soon, including OCI [Overseas Citizen of India] and visa services."
Pabitra Margherita is India's minister of state for external affairs.
Photo:
RNZ / Blessen Tom
Margherita told attendees at the community event on Friday that he was delighted to see the Indian community's positive contributions to New Zealand.
"It is heartening to see that our community here has been an integral part of the social fabric of this beautiful country," he said.
"Your dedication and hard work have not only uplifted you and your families but also have added immense value to broader New Zealand society," he said.
"India and New Zealand share a deep, multifaceted and friendly relationship."
The Indian minister met Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Trade Minister Todd McClay during his three-day visit.
He also spoke with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on the sidelines of a
summit organised by the India New Zealand Business Council on Friday morning
.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade provided some detail on the talks between Peters and Margherita in a social media post on Friday.
The two ministers discussed the progress made in the India-New Zealand relationship across a wide range of sectors, including a "broad-based agenda for bilateral security and economic cooperation", the ministry said.
"[They discussed] achieving a mutually beneficial outcome to free trade agreement negotiations, our shared interests in the Indo-Pacific, the terrorist attack in Kashmir and New Zealand's support for de-escalation between India and Pakistan, and the Pacific Islands region."
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