Premium Visa

I applied online for a Premium Visa.  The received it and asked me for one additional document and acknowledged having received it.
One article I read said it usually takes about two business days to get approved. 
It's been nearly two weeks and even having written two requests asking about it, I haven't heard anything more.

I've heard that best way to deal with Mauritius's lack of a customer service mentality is by using "connections".
I'm a little shy on connections at the moment, having just arrived here about three weeks ago.
Any insight about getting my application through their approval process would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
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Hello Starry Expanse,

Calls work better than mails in Mauritius. I would suggest that you contact the EDB office on +230 203 3800

All the best,
Anoushka
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@Anou86

Hi Anoushka,
Thank you for your help.

Here is how I "resolved" it:

I expanded the "ANY OTHER QUESTIONS?" section, revealing the following message:
For any other questions or assistance, you may contact EDB office on +230 2033800 or at [email protected].

I sent an email to the email address and got no response.

I called the number (which is the one you also gave me) and they very politely told me to call 210 9418 or to call 260 2073 and ask for Premium Visa Section.
I called 210 9418 repeatedly but either no one answered or it was busy. At one point, someone accidentally answered the phone and I could hear them having a conversation, but I couldn't get their attention. This, however, proved that there was, in fact, a live human being at the number.

To encourage them to answer, I tried stuffing a 1000 rupee note through my phone, but I couldn't figure out how to do it.

Eventually, I gave up and tried the other number, 260 2073.  They attempted to forward my call to the number I had already been calling (210 9418) but they weren't any more successfull than I had been, so they told me to try calling 210 9418 some more, because that is the direct line.  

Armed with the knowledge that 210 9418 is, in fact, the only number that is useful, I just kept calling it until someone finally got tired of hearing it ring (I guess).

They told me that my application was approved but since I arrived on May 11th, my Tourist Visa would be in effect until July 9th and they would send me the confirmation of my Premium Visa then. They were not specific about how much before July 9th I could expect to receive it. That will be fun because if I don't receive it before July 9th, I will have to be on an airplane to anywhere but here or else they might deport me.  

This process seems contrary to the information on the website which says the application will be processed within 48 hours:

WAIT FOR VALIDATION: DO I RECEIVE VISA DOCUMENT VIA EMAIL?
Once you have finished completing the form, there is nothing left to do except to check your mailbox. The e-visa will be issued via email.
The Premium Visa application will be processed within 48 hours for applications made from Monday to Friday. Applications submitted during the weekend will be processed on the next working day, i.e. on Monday. Application can be made close to the intended departure date. However, it is recommended that travellers submit an application well in advance of their intended departure date.

In the mean time, the lack of a Premium Visa prevents me from opening a bank account, so I have to pay my rent using an international wire transfer, which costs an additional 1600 rupees per month.

I do not see any benefit to their waiting to send the Premium Visa confirmation email until my Tourist Visa expires (and my stress level is at 11).
I also don't understand why it isn't stated anywhere.

This lack of a written explanation is particularly baffling because they required me to provide proof that I had a place to live.  You can't rent a place to live until you get here, so the number of people who will apply for a Premium Visa before they have a Tourist Visa must be nearly zero--which means that everyone who applies will have the same problem that I've had.

Fortunately, the website offers this comforting information:

MODE OF APPLICATION
Applying for a Premium Visa is a simple online process.

To paraphrase Arthur Dent in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy...

Or as T-Rex said in Meet the Robinsons...

Will I live as an outlaw in hoping my name will someday be cleared?  Will I be caught and deported?  Will I buy a plane ticket that I won't need and can't get refunded?  Will I apply for a Tourist Visa extension only to find that it voids my Premium Visa application?  

This is a real white-knuckler!  Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion as July 9th approaches.

696full-the-perils-of-pauline-photo.jpg

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Hi again Starry,

Oh I am sorry it was a real uphill battle getting in touch with the right person to retrieve the right information.
Armed with the knowledge that 210 9418 is, in fact, the only number that is useful, I just kept calling it until someone finally got tired of hearing it ring (I guess).
They do have officers who address questions from the public and even accounts managers who handle prospective clients
Will I live as an outlaw in hoping my name will someday be cleared?  Will I be caught and deported?  Will I buy a plane ticket that I won't need and can't get refunded?  Will I apply for a Tourist Visa extension only to find that it voids my Premium Visa application? 
No, fortunately no and you won't be deported either since your application has been approved (congrats by the way 1f600.svg)

Do you have access to your status ?

Have you chosen a bank yet ?

Your documents will surely be ready by the date they mentioned however, if you happen to be in Port-Louis, I suggest you to pay them a visit (opposite St Louis Cathedral). You will meet a staff member and get personalised customer service.

EDB Head Office
10th Floor, One Cathedral Square Building • 16 Jules Koenig Street
Port Louis


Please keep us posted
Best regards,

Anoushka
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@Anou86 

Ah ha!  Thank you!

I followed the link that you gave me (EDB WPS Portal) and logged in.
I clicked on the "Your Area" link (in the menu along the top of the page).
I clicked on the "New Applications in Progress" tile.
In the "Application Type" column of the data table at the bottom of the screen, I clicked on my visa application. (In my case the link says, "Premium Visa".)
This expanded into a detailed view of which documents I've sent, the current status of my application ("Awaiting Verification"), and this useful tidbit:

Typical duration for process completion of this permit:
Minimum:  8 days
Average:   23 days

If the average is 23 days and the minumum is 8 days, that implies that the maximum is approximately 23 + (23 - 8) = 23 + 15 = 38 days.
If we assume that these are business days, that means it could take 2 months to process a Premium Visa application.  A Tourist Visa is only valid for 2 months.
A mathematician friend of mine did some fancy math and concluded, "Ummmm... this isn't great."

Clearly, this is a system designed by someone who never had to use it.
It appears that the only safe option is to apply for an extension to my Tourist Visa while I'm waiting for my Premium Visa application to be approved.
I don't have a problem with it taking a couple of months to approve the application, but no one benefits from all of the unnecessary work that results from not presenting that information clearly in a place where people are likely to look for it (like the FAQ's).

Apparently the "48 hours" stated in the FAQ's is how long it takes to receive an email acknowledging that the application has been received.
It would be much more helpful if the FAQ said:

It will take up to two business days for you to receive an email acknowledging that your application has been received.
Approval of your application typically takes four to eight weeks.
To check the status of your application, lclick on the "Your Area" link in the menu along the top of this webpage.
If necessary, your Tourist Visa can be extended to allow for additional processing time.  See:  https://passport.govmu.org/passport/?page_id=593

Note:  The link on the final line does not provide sufficient information to successfully apply for an extension.  Here is a much more helpful (though unofficial) statement of what is required:

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We just received ours. We had to wait for almost 2 months. We called and sent emails in the meantime, they said they were understaffed at the moment. Just be patient …Good luck
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@Elen-Rose
That's helpful to know. Thank you!
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@Starry Expanse

First of all that was a very funny read specially because of it being relatable.

We are literally in the same boat except our date of arrival was May 16th, so our tourist visa will end on June 14th.

I went through exactly all your steps till I managed to get hold of them on phone to be told that "Your applicated is good and everything is in order but we can not issue the premium visa yet as till your tourist visa runs out which it does on July 14th"

According to that it seems that our visas are already processed, they are just waiting for the tourist visa to run out before issuing the new one. What is really worrying me is if they take more time than the end date (whether its July 9th or July 14th in my case), meaning that we are technically overstaying, even if its for a couple of days it wouldn't look good for any of us.

Either way, if you get to have more input on this, please update us, and hopefully this remains as a helpful topic for anyone in the future attempting to do a tourist visa -> premium visas route.

Thank you!

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@AomineNoBasket
@Elen-Rose
@Starry Expanse
@Anou86

So sorry to hear of the challenges experienced. I am looking at moving over in September and will be applying for the Premium visa.

Please could I leverage your knowledge / experience based on what you submitted as part of your Premium visa.

What did you submit for the following:
- Travel and health insurance for the period of stay.

  • Do you need to take out cover,  which is valid for a full year ... even though there is no guarentee that the Premium Visa will be issued?
  • Which company did you use for both insurances?
  • What was the cost of each?
I would appreciate your valuable input.

Any other guidance would be appreciated.
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@Trent Simpson Great question as I also want to know.

Can you clarify the financial outlay for 2 of us on Premium Visa. Is it $1500 for each of us or just $1500 for the main Applicant who is doing the remote working. Otherwise, we will have to wait for the Retirement Visa with option of renewal a year later while I will then have to look for work online. I have no idea where I would start with this, as I have never done remote online working before. Also, do they also need bank statements proving the $1500 going into your account and if so, for how many months do they ask for. We have a lump sum of Pounds as we are South Africans, living in UK for 2 years but want to switch to Mauritius for the simpler lifestyle and the weather ofcourse.

Will they accept a Amazon UK Store as proof of income, if they ask for it?

Any guidance you can help with would be much appreicated.

Thanks
Tracy
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Hi @Trent Simpson,

I bought my health insurance through Cigna.
It costs about US$500 per month.
I believe you can buy it for whatever amount of time you need it.

When you respond to their advertisement, you will get a call from a representative who will answer all of your questions. The representative will ask you which options you want (repatriation of your remains, coverage in the United States--which will add a lot) and give you an estimated price.

If you decide you want the coverage, the representative will ask for a comprehensive list of all of your pre-existing conditions, which Cigna will exclude from your policy.

They try to make it easy, but give yourself at least an hour for each of the two calls (the initial estimate call and the purchase call.

They will offer you a significant discount if you purchase the policy within 30 days of the initial call.

I don't know the difference between travel insurance and international health insurance. Cigna's is the only insurance I recall buying. (Note to self: add "memory loss"to pre-existing conditions.)

Please (anybody) explain it to me.





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I don't know the difference between travel insurance and international health insurance. Cigna's is the only insurance I recall buying. (Note to self: add "memory loss"to pre-existing conditions.)

Please (anybody) explain it to me.





- @Starry Expanse


you have your answer here:



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Premium Visa Approved!

It is 6 July. My Tourist Visa expires on 9 July. If I don't get the Premium Visa today, I will have to book a last minute flight out of the country, find an Airbnb, and book a taxi to the airport. No worries. 😩

So, it looks like ol' John is going to spend the day bouncing along on the bus between Flic en Flac and Port Louis, with an indeterminably long layover at the Economic Development Board.
I set my jaw and braced for a day of heroic conquest, punctuated by a lot of waiting, sniveling, and begging. I put on my Mauritian uniform (a ridiculously colorful flowery shirt), slathered my befreckled hide with SPF 2000 sunblock, packed my backpack full of water, spare batteries, and all the other stuff I've always got to take everywhere, and triumphantly walked out the front door. Then I walked back in to turn off the light that I left on. Just as I screwed up my courage for another attempt... a Premium Visa approval email arrived.

-----

I thought it was ridiculous to have a policy of waiting until the Tourist Visa runs out before approving the Premium Visa, but I thought maybe they didn't want two visas in force at once.  Just to rub salt in the wound, though, the Premium Visa has the same starting date as the Tourist Visa!  I can't make head nor tail of waiting until the Tourist Visa expires before approving the Premium Visa.

Welcome to Mauritius. ❤️🦤
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@Starry Expanse That was a close shot...you have been through so much hassle and doubt. Happy that you got your visa on time.
There will be other such episodes where your patience will be tested but hopefully it's worth it and you will be enjoying your stay here.

Have a good day and a nice stay,
Anoushhka
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Premium Visa Approved!

xxxxx

I thought it was ridiculous to have a policy of waiting until the Tourist Visa runs out before approving the Premium Visa, but I thought maybe they didn't want two visas in force at once.  Just to rub salt in the wound, though, the Premium Visa has the same starting date as the Tourist Visa!  I can't make head nor tail of waiting until the Tourist Visa expires before approving the Premium Visa.

Welcome to Mauritius. ❤️🦤
- @Starry Expanse


Do you know that you could have had your tourist visa extended beyond the initial 3 months ?
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Dear all

What is the standard length of a tourist visa? My wife is here and the long term plan is to
Get the premium visa. In the mean time we were thinking of just extending the tourist visa to 6 months and then apply.
It is impossible to see a duration of visa on her passport because of bad handwriting.
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@TianV

Duration will depend on the nationality. South Africans 3 months (90 days), to stay more, you need an extension (3months) which can be easily obtained by calling personally + with all documents (proof of fund, accommodation etc) at the Passport and immigration office.



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@Anou86 thank you for your prompt reply. She is South African. I saw a post about a 2 month tourist and then I started wondering.

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@TianV ok i see… is her passport and air ticket is valid for the duration of her stay, she'll be fine

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Hi everyone...
Thank you for sharing all the issues you went through before finally getting your visas.
Pleased to see - every single one of you i- You are amazing by not giving up.
Do enjoy your new life & good health.
Regards
Rick
ps - will be joining you soon.....  am making notes & will be well prepared.  Thank you.
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