Visas & Travel

Climate and Packing

For those joining the entire mission through India and China, you will experience a number of different climactic conditions and packing may be an ordeal. You should consult various web sites for local weather and conditions before departure; we have taken the liberty of here offer average November temperatures and monthly rain fall in each of the cities on the mission.

Guangzhou
Daily high 32.5 C
Daily low 4.9 C
Average 19.6 C
Average rainfall 35 mm

Shanghai
Daily high 26.5 C
Daily low –2 C
Average 13.6 C
Average rainfall 42 mm

Beijing
Daily high 22 C
Daily low –10.6 C
Average 5 C
Average rainfall 8 mm

Delhi
Daily high 29 C
Daily low 12 C
Average rainfall 4 mm

Mumbai
Daily high 33 C
Daily low 20 C
Average rainfall 9 mm

Bangalore
Daily high 27 C
Daily low 17 C
Average rainfall 58 mm

Amritsar
Daily high 27 C
Daily low 8 C
Average rainfall 6 mm

Chandigarh
Daily high 27 C
Daily low 10 C
Average rainfall 7 m

Flight Information

Travellers will be responsible for making their own air bookings, both domestically and internationally. Several airlines fly each of these routes. Please consult officers in your international divisions should you need recommendations for travel agencies. Travellers will also be responsible for all airport transfers.

Assistance with Travel

Should you be in need of a travel agent to assist with travel bookings or visas, we are happy to recommend BCCIE’s primary provider:

Don Gunn
E-mail: gunn@novuscom.net
Tel: 604-899-1442
Toll-free: 1-800-667-2237

November 5/6

Vancouver to Guangzhou

Delegates should plan to arrive in Guangzhou by the morning of November 6 in order to be settled in time for the luncheon.

November 7

Guangzhou to Shanghai

Delegates should plan to leave Guangzhou between 1:00 and 2:00 pm; our AM meeting will conclude at 11:00 am. Total flying time is approximately 2.5 hours.

November 8

Shanghai to Beijing

Delegates should plan to take an afternoon flight from Shanghai. Total flying time is approximately 2.5 hours. There is no formal evening program on November 8.

November 10

Beijing to New Delhi (with 1 stop)

Delegates should plan to take an early morning flight to leave Beijing in order to arrive at Delhi in the evening. There are no direct flights between Beijing and Delhi on that day. Total flying time is over 10 hours.

November 12

New Delhi to Mumbai

Delegates should plan to take an afternoon flight to leave Delhi, ideally any time after 2:00 pm, as the FICCI Higher Education event will still be ongoing on the morning of November 12. Total flying time is approximately 2 hours.

November 14

Mumbai to Bangalore

Delegates should plan to take an afternoon flight to leave Mumbai. There is a tentatively-scheduled education event on the morning of November 14 in Mumbai. Total flying time is just under 2 hours.

November 15

Bangalore to Amritsar

Note that there will be no formal education events other than a small number of MOU signings in Amritsar, so delegates may choose to bypass Amritsar and travel directly to Chandigarh, which involves a mandatory stopover in either Mumbai or Delhi. There are numerous flights to Chandigarh from Delhi or you may choose to take the Shatabdi Express train which is an early morning departure and a five-hour ride from Old Delhi train station; this is a memorable trip.

Regardless, delegates should plan take a late afternoon flight to leave Bangalore, ideally any time after 4:00 pm.

November 16

Amritsar to Chandigarh

Should you choose to go to Amritsar you will need to hire a car to travel to Chandigarh; it is approximately a four-hour drive. The BC Reception at the Chief Minister’s Residence in Chandigarh is scheduled to start at 4:15 pm on November 16 so delegates should plan to arrive at Chandigarh by 3:00 pm on November 16.

November 16 or 17

Chandigarh to Vancouver (with 2 transfers)

Delegates may choose to overnight in Chandigarh on November 16 or take a late flight back to Delhi; there are no direct flights between Chandigarh to Vancouver.

Visas

Travellers will be responsible for procuring their own visas; passports should be valid for at least six months from your date of travel.

China

You should apply for a Tourist visa and will not need a letter of invitation; rather, in the space designated 2.1 please specify BC PREMIER’S MISSION.

The following documents should be submitted when applying for Chinese visas:

Passport valid at least for 6 months, with at least 2 blank pages, and in good condition;
Completed visa application form (attached)
A recent 2” X 2” passport-size / style photo.

Download the China Visa Application

India

The Government of India has introduced a new on-line visa application system.

All visa applicants are required to go to the link http://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa and complete the on-line Visa form. After completing the form on-line, please print it out and submit to one of the offices of the outsourcing agents, VFS Global. Their office addresses, hours, phone numbers and e-mail addresses can be found by clicking http://in.vfsglobal.ca.

You should be applying for a Business Visa. The Indian Consulate and VFS Global are in receipt of a list with the names of all delegates that we have confirmed for the Mission and will refer to this Master List when processing visas. In space available you should indicate that you are a member of the Education delegation of the Premier’s Mission to India.

Attach a 2” X 2” passport-style photo.

Please use the information below when filling out the application form: