Merging OCI and PIO into a single facility

ravi_niu

Registered Users (C)
Hon Manmohan Singh has announced on Saturday that the OCI and PIO cards would be merged into a single facility. Any toughts on that and its implications?
 
Hon Manmohan Singh has announced on Saturday that the OCI and PIO cards would be merged into a single facility. Any toughts on that and its implications?

Great, it'd be even more complicated to deal with them now. At least for myself, I am not speaking on behalf of anyone else.
 
In jest ...

CGI SF Notification. People who got their PIO card are required to surrender their PIO card and upgrade to OCI card.

CGI Houston Notification. People who got their PIO card are required to surrender their PIO card and apply for fresh OCI card.

CGI NY Notification. People who got their PIO card are required to freshly apply and then surrender their PIO card.

Ministry of Home.
You can check your status by your passport number, application number, PIO number, or OCI number. Actually by Passport number in 2011, application number in 2012, PIO number in 2014 and OCI number in 2015 ... by which time we will have another rule.

All applications are required in triplicate. They need to be self-attested if you have a middle name, and notarized if you do not have one.

Kids can sign, unless they are older than 5 years.

Fee for any changeover transaction USD 200.

News reports are already flowing of people being detained at Indian airports and being asked why they did not change from PIO to OCI yet.

[ EDIT/ ADD ]
Did I miss CGI-Chicago? Chicago is still accepting applications for both PIO and OCI.

The government is seeking opinions on what the fines for people not surrendering their PIO cards should be.
 
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People who do not have any Indian heritage but are married to people of Indian heritage are eligible for PIO status but not for OCI. So what happens now? Are they all going to become OCIs now despite not being Indian?
 
Now there will another mad rush for people converting from PIO to OCI. Already the SC rule has dragged the OCI processing times in Houston consulate to 8 months. Hopefully they will honor the PIO until its expiry, otherwise I need a refund or a gratis OCI conversion.

Also what about children on PIO (both Indian parents)?
 
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In jest ...

CGI SF Notification. People who got their PIO card are required to surrender their PIO card and upgrade to OCI card.

CGI Houston Notification. People who got their PIO card are required to surrender their PIO card and apply for fresh OCI card.

CGI NY Notification. People who got their PIO card are required to freshly apply and then surrender their PIO card.

Ministry of Home.
You can check your status by your passport number, application number, PIO number, or OCI number. Actually by Passport number in 2011, application number in 2012, PIO number in 2014 and OCI number in 2015 ... by which time we will have another rule.

All applications are required in triplicate. They need to be self-attested if you have a middle name, and notarized if you do not have one.

Kids can sign, unless they are older than 5 years.

Fee for any changeover transaction USD 200.

News reports are already flowing of people being detained at Indian airports and being asked why they did not change from PIO to OCI yet.

[ EDIT/ ADD ]
Did I miss CGI-Chicago? Chicago is still accepting applications for both PIO and OCI.

The government is seeking opinions on what the fines for people not surrendering their PIO cards should be.

good one
 
Now there will another mad rush for people converting from PIO to OCI. Already the SC rule has dragged the OCI processing times in Houston consulate to 8 months. Hopefully they will honor the PIO until its expiry, otherwise I need a refund or a gratis OCI conversion.

Also what about children on PIO (both Indian parents)?

More information that I got suggets that all PIO have to convert into a OCI by paying $25. Though the current PIO will be honored till the end date, after which a PIO holder has to apply for a OCI by paying whatever fees are prevelant at that time. You are right I dont know what will happen to the children of Indian passport holders born abroad, and to spouse of OCI. That is a million dollar question. Till now only 42 mission acorss the globe were giving OCI/PIO now all Indian mission will issue OCI in all the countries except Paki's of course, to pple of Indian origin. This would also increase the processing time even more, maybe more than a year in some missions. God only knows what will happen, atleast PIO was issued by the consulates and missions themselves, now everything has to go to Delhi only.
 
In jest ...

CGI SF Notification. People who got their PIO card are required to surrender their PIO card and upgrade to OCI card.

CGI Houston Notification. People who got their PIO card are required to surrender their PIO card and apply for fresh OCI card.

CGI NY Notification. People who got their PIO card are required to freshly apply and then surrender their PIO card.

Ministry of Home.
You can check your status by your passport number, application number, PIO number, or OCI number. Actually by Passport number in 2011, application number in 2012, PIO number in 2014 and OCI number in 2015 ... by which time we will have another rule.

All applications are required in triplicate. They need to be self-attested if you have a middle name, and notarized if you do not have one.

Kids can sign, unless they are older than 5 years.

Fee for any changeover transaction USD 200.

News reports are already flowing of people being detained at Indian airports and being asked why they did not change from PIO to OCI yet.

[ EDIT/ ADD ]
Did I miss CGI-Chicago? Chicago is still accepting applications for both PIO and OCI.

The government is seeking opinions on what the fines for people not surrendering their PIO cards should be.


Hi sanjoseaug20,

Where did you collect this information from.
I checked CGI SF but didn't find this info in notification.
I still have not got PIO or OCI. Need to apply for one now.
I am at Washington state hence need to go via CGI SF. Is OCI the only option I have?
 
Hon Manmohan Singh has announced on Saturday that the OCI and PIO cards would be merged into a single facility. Any toughts on that and its implications?

The devil's in the details. We have to wait for the requirements for the new 'single facility' (gosh, GoI really needs to use language one can understand. WTH is a 'Single Facility')
 
sanjoseaug20, I went to that link and didn't find anything regarding the new......single facility. :)

"facility" is often used as the euphemism for toilet. A single facility might mean that everyone has to use the same location to "go" for whatever benefit they get. For example non-pio-foreigners and pio-foreigners, the former group being spouses of pio-foreigners, will have to use the same location to relieve themselves of whatever (travel document related) issues. Facilities are often in the news when India is concerned, as in "700 million have access to a mobile phone, but only 350 million have access to a facility in the morning", "foreigners have a higher standards for cleanliness of facilities than indians do" etc.. I think the Hon'PM had (being an English educated gent) used the word with his tongue in the cheek.
 
"facility" is often used as the euphemism for toilet. A single facility might mean that everyone has to use the same location to "go" for whatever benefit they get. For example non-pio-foreigners and pio-foreigners, the former group being spouses of pio-foreigners, will have to use the same location to relieve themselves of whatever (travel document related) issues. Facilities are often in the news when India is concerned, as in "700 million have access to a mobile phone, but only 350 million have access to a facility in the morning", "foreigners have a higher standards for cleanliness of facilities than indians do" etc.. I think the Hon'PM had (being an English educated gent) used the word with his tongue in the cheek.

Well the problem is that India is still stuck in the 19th century as far as use of the English language. I have realized after hearing the Brits speak, that the pronunciations we were taught in school are not what they use. Case of overzealous teachers trying to out-English the English...

Of course, then when one comes to the US or Canada, on has to relearn, as one gets puzzled looks when using 19th century English terms!
 
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