Applied for a passport renewal under normal with a pending legal status in the USA (gc renewal under process) and with an USA address change.Took 3 weeks from the time the complete application was submitted to the SFO Embassy/Consulate.(May 23rd to June 13th).
Timeline:
May 12th : Government application form submitted online and printed.
May-12-May 18th : Documents prepared,VFS online registration completed,made payment and vfs shipping label generated on May 17th. Note - VFS FedEx label, once generated, cannot be generated again and one may use the same shipping label to ship the application within 7 days. Dropped off the application at my local Fedex store on May 18th, it got picked up on the same day.
May 19th: FedEx delivered package at VFS Center in San Francisco. Email from VFS as - We have āReceivedā your Application and your application is now āUnder Processā at San Francisco and will be submitted to the Mission for decision making.
May 23rd : Received an email from VFS - āYour Application has been āProcessedā at the VFS India Consular application Centre and currently is āIn-Transitā to the Embassy of India/Consulate General of India for decision making.As soon as VFS India Consular application Centre receives an update, the status on the āTrack and Traceā page will be revised accordingly. To āTrack and Traceā please visit: https://visa.vfsglobal.com/usa/en/ind/track-application and use Government reference number ( ARN, File Reference number) to get the updated status of your application."
May 23rd : Application status on VFS website - āYour application has reached the Embassy/Consulate and is currently under review processā
June 8th :Sent an email to the SFO consulate (oci2.sf@mea.gov.in,passport.sf@mea.gov.in) and VFS (info.ihcusa@vfshelpline.com) initiating the need for me to send a copy of my current legal USA status. VFS responded that at this stage they canāt do anything but I can contact the SFO consulate.Response received from the consulate asking me to send a digital copy of my new valid green card as an attachment.I did the needful.The Consulate emailed me back acknowledging the receipt of the document.
Note - If I had not emailed the consulate regarding the change in my legal USA status the consulate would have granted a short validity passport and I would have had to re-apply again for a Full Validity of Passport (passport valid for 10 years).
June 9th : Email about Initiation of Police Verification Request(s) received and Indian contact received a phone call to meet in person with the requested documents and information about my last travel dates to India.
June 10th : Gov portal status updated to "passport is printed and will be delivered shortly. Application status on vfs website as - Your document (s) is dispatched using the return label purchased or sent by you.If using VFS courier, please check for email from āTrackingUpdates@fedex.comā for details.Email received from TrackingUpdates@fedex.com.
June 11th: Emails from VFS received - Your Application has been reviewed by the Embassy of India/ Consulate General of India & will be dispatched using the courier service you had opted.Also received the same VFS status in email.
June 13th : Passport delivered.