Misc. OCI Application Questions

Both OCI and PIO are good. OCI is the best.

Only the thing that could affect when you get OCI or PIO is to obtain a secret security clearance (top-level) in usa, but it won't affect any security clearance (any level except high level). That's one of disadvantages.

Another disadvantages are that you cannot vote for Prime Minister or parliament candidate in India. You can't work in some federal jobs (not all federal jobs) in India. Good thing is that you can still vote in any local election or mayor or governor election.

There are many good advantages for both OCI and PIO.
 
Anyone knows how long it will take to get granted status? It scanned on Oct-23-2009. Is there any status left after granted?

Application Status
Registration Status UnderProcess
Photo/Signature Scanned On 23-OCT-2009
Documents Printing Status NOT PRINTED
Documents Despatched From Delhi On NOT DISPATCHED
Documents Received at NEW YORK CGI NOT YET
 
Hi All,

How do we pay the OCI Fees $275 ???.

Do we need take a postal money order or a bankers cheque should be sufficient.

Also once the oci is granted can we take a printout of the status and walkin to the indian consulate and get stamped in ur usa passport???

tx
senthil:)

Take the printout, your US Passport, and Indian Passport. CGINY accepts OCI related matters in the morning; and you get your U sticker and booklet in the afternoon.
 
I would not send the renunciation because in future if Indian law is changed in future to allow dual citizenship, then renunciation may cause problems.
 
I would not send the renunciation because in future if Indian law is changed in future to allow dual citizenship, then renunciation may cause problems.

I sent in the renunciation form because it is required by visa, so it is old story.

However, as an OCI or PIO, you are allowed to apply for Indian citizenship after 5 years have elapsed. Would that not take care of this?
 
In the case of OCI or PIO and getting back Indian citizenship by registration, you are acquiring a new Indian citizenship, however if the law changes in the future, where all Indian citizens who acquired other citizenship are still considered Indian citizen, then renunciation may cause problems because you have explicitly renounced Indian citizenship.
 
My take on this is issue is that there is massive confusion -- neither the OCI nor the PIO confer any Indian Citizenship.... part of the confusion maybe because the name OCI has Citizenship in there but it's a red herring. Till you can't vote in a country you are not a citizen of that country, allowing people to hold general employment and acquire property conveys the same characteristics as a GC Holder, thought the OCI is lifelong and GC is renewable every 10 years.

By Indian Law, you cannot hold more than 1 citizenship simultaneously, so the moment we got our USC, we were no longer Indian Citizens. The Renunciation Form is a formal process to give up Indian Citizenship and cancel the Indian Passport. Even if we don’t do it, the Indian Passport is no longer valid even if has not expired and serves no useful purpose.

In the future if the Indian constitution is amended to allow dual citizenship then it maybe a different story, but for now it’s very clear that whether one formally renounces the Indian Citizenship or not, one is no longer an Indian Citizen and acquiring OCI or a PIO doesn’t alter this situation.
 
If one loses Indian Citizenship automatically (due to law) when one takes up another citizenship, then if the law is changed in the future then you will be still considered an Indian Citizen. Where as if you explicitly renounced Indian citizenship (unconditional), then in the eyes of the law you have voluntarily given up Indian citizenship. Why do that, if none is required for OCI application.

I wish Indian law (not constitution change) is changed to bring in the concept of Indian national (not Indian citizen) along the lines of US National (not US citizen) whereby anybody eligible for PIO/OCI is still considered an Indian national (but not a Indian citizen). This will allow to apply for Indian passport (but same limitation as OCI).
 
I see your interpretation of explicitly renouncing citizenship vz. passively loosing it. I suspect if they ever changed the constitution to allow dual citizenship, they'll most probably come up w/ a new process OCI+ or something and most probably charge an arm-and-a-leg for it, can't imagine them automatically granting it based on existing status, e.g. OCI but hope is eternal!
 
I see your interpretation of explicitly renouncing citizenship vz. passively loosing it. I suspect if they ever changed the constitution to allow dual citizenship, they'll most probably come up w/ a new process OCI+ or something and most probably charge an arm-and-a-leg for it, can't imagine them automatically granting it based on existing status, e.g. OCI but hope is eternal!

I also see the difference, but still think technically it means the same whether you renounce or not. Once you raised your hand to take oath (for USC), as per Indian law you have renounced - does not matter whether you filed the paperwork or not.
 
OCI - and travel to India

With OCI granted and stamped in the passport, is the American Passport (with the Visa stamped) sufficient for travel to India?

Or should one have to carry the OCI booklet along with them for the travel?

Thanks
 
IMPORTANT NOTICE TO OCI CARD HOLDERS

OCI card holders traveling to India are advised to carry the Passport containing U Visa sticker and OCI Card to avoid problems at Immigration check points in India. In case registered OCI has obtained a new passport, kindly ensure to carry the passport containing U Visa sticker, new passport and OCI document during all visits to India. ALTERNATIVELY Miscellaneous Services can be availed for transfer of U Visa sticker to new passport. However, before applying for Misc Services kindly read the instructions posted under “OCI Misc Service” particularly the processing period. Since applications are processed in the order of their receipt in the Consulate, this service cannot be expedited.
 
Strong Advice: Bring your passport where 'U' visa sticker is pasted and OCI booklet (OCI card) with you.

This article below can be found at http://mikeghouse.sulekha.com/blog/post/2009/09/dr-sujit-pandit-s-story-my-dual-citizenship-woes.htm

Dr. Sujit Pandit's story: My Dual Citizenship Woes

MY DUAL CITIZENSHIP WOES: MY RECENT EXPERIENCE WITH THE IMMIGRATION
DEPARTMENT AT THE KOLKATA AIRPORT AND THE LESSONS I LEARNT

My advice to all my friends who hold an OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) Card
and those who aspire to get one.

I am an American citizen. I also carry an OCI card (Overseas Citizen of
India) since 2007.

On Saturday, June 20, 2009 , I arrived at the Kolkata Netaji Subhas Airport
from Detroit via Singapore , by Singapore Airlines (SQ 516) at 10:30 P.M.

I presented myself to an Immigration Officer ( Mr. Biswas ) for immigration
clearance. I gave him my American passport and my OCI card. He demanded to
see my visa from the Indian consular office. Unfortunately, that visa was
attached to my old passport and I did not bring it with me.

I explained to him that I am sorry I forgot to bring my old passport but
since I do possess a valid OCI Card that would automatically mean that I do
also possess a permanent (life long) visa for India and there are proofs
that I have traveled multiple times to India after I had received my OCI
card.

Mr. Biswas detained me for two hours inside the airport and then he told
me that he is going to allow me to stay in India for 72 hours and asked me
to report to the Foreign Relations Regional Officer (FRRO) in the city
within 72 hours. He kept my passport. During all that time I had no
opportunity either to approach his OC (Officer in Charge) although I asked
for it, or to contact my relatives who came to the airport to receive me and
were waiting outside and had no idea why I was being held back or if I have
even arrived.

Forgetting to bring my old passport was my own fault but I 'forgot' to bring
it partly because I knew I have my OCI Card with me and I thought, that
means something, I really believed that I am a citizen of India too. Why
would a citizen also need a visa to enter his own country? I thought I
have a dual citizenship for both the USA and India . Other wise, what is the
difference between an ordinary foreigner and the OCI Card holder?

Next day was a Sunday, I called a friend in Ann Arbor who went into my
house, got my old passport and sent me the scanned copy of my old passport
and a copy of my permanent visa by e-mail.

So, on Monday I went to see Mr. Bibhas Talukdar , the FRRO. He hardly
looked at the documents (the scanned visa) that I had with me he simply
asked me to get my old passport by courier mail within another seven days.
He appeared gleeful telling me that it is only out of "pity" that he is
allowing me to stay in India for seven more days. He was totally
unimpressed by either my status as a Professor Emeritus of the University of
Michigan or my age (70+)

I called my friend in Ann Arbor again who then sent my old passport by
FedEx. Three days later the passport arrived. Since I had to leave Kolkata
for prescheduled visit to Bangalore , my niece took it to Mr. Talukdar . But
due to lack of communication between the FRRO office and the airport
immigration department my passport had not arrived at the city office even
after 9 days. My niece had to go to the FRRO's office three times once
waiting until 6 P.M. still they did not have my passport. They only
promised: "it will come soon". At last, 12 days after my arrival, my niece
got my passport.

From this painful and anxiety provoking experience I have learned a few
valuable lessons:

1. The loud talk about "Dual Citizenship" for Indian Americans is just a
political hoax.

2. The OCI card just does not have any value. It is just a piece of
expensive junk. You still need a visa every time you travel to India whether
or not you possess an OCI card. Only difference is that for the high price
of getting an OCI card you will get a "life long " visa. A 10-year visa is
much cheaper.

3. When coming to India always consider yourself a foreigner and bring
your visa with you, there will be no exceptions. Your OCI card is not a visa
substitute.

4. In fact, you will probably be treated worse than an ordinary
foreigner arriving without a valid visa. Because a foreigner especially a
white Caucasian will at least be treated with courtesy and probably offered
a temporary visa if there is no reason to deny it, but not you.

Please feel free to forward this mail to any of your friends who may befit
from my experience. Especially feel free to forward this to any influential
politician or civil servant in India that you may know.

Sujit K. Pandit M.D. Professor Emeritus, Department of Anesthesiology
 
Carry both documents. Only visa stamp is required for entry into India and the card is required for any business you might have in India (like opening bank accounts, etc.)
 
Ok, guys please aducate me here.
If you apply for OCI card, you get card plus visa stamp on you passport good for life . I thought you just get OCI card ???
How to get 10 year multiple entry visa to India. Is it easy to get ?
 
Ok, guys please aducate me here.
If you apply for OCI card, you get card plus visa stamp on you passport good for life . I thought you just get OCI card ???
How to get 10 year multiple entry visa to India. Is it easy to get ?

Are you serious?

Whatever be the nomenclature, OCI allows you IN and OUT, as well STAY permissions for your life. This is implemented as an OCI booklet + a U visa in your passport.

Visa is easier to get than OCI because there are fewer requirements. OCI is only for people of Indian origin, so you need to prove that you were an Indian, or your parents were Indian or grandparents were Indian (after 1950 formation of republic). There is another alternative called PIO which is closer to OCI, but is actually halfway between the visa. You need to decide which option to go for based on your personal situation and background.

Assuming you have documentation in hand NOW, you can get your Indian entry visa by the weekend (today being Wednesday), whereas OCI might take 4 weeks or 12 weeks or even longer. Depends on your location, background checks, and also luck. Luck as in they will not deny it, but the applications do not seem to be processed sequentially so whether you get in front of the queue or back of the queue is where your luck comes in.

Check cgisf.org for documentation requirements. They will redirect you to travisa outsourcing for visa questions, but describe PIO / OCI in detail.

Let us know if you have specific questions - OCI vs PIO vs VISA is a very broad topic, and I think you will find many websites describing these in detail.
 
Applying for self and infant son..

Hi

I had sent in my OCI application for myself, wife and infant son back in October to DC embassy. It has not been acknowledged yet but I am thinking they will send the application back since my wife dropped her middle name when she got naturalized leading to different name in her US passport and Indian passport. A friend of mine who applied a week before, got his application back for the same reason.

Questions..

1)I was thinking of applying for OCI for just myself and my son if the applications are sent back. When I fill the online application, do I leave the spouse part just blank?

2)My wife might just apply for a Indian Visa at this time...Will this name difference cause an issue with tourist visa as well?

Thanks
 
Can you apply for OCI before you get your US passport?

You take Oath and immediately apply for US passport.

- Can you apply for OCI at the SAME time? It looks the first stage is just the approval stage. Once you get the approval (~1 month) the passport should arrive and then you can send it for phase 2 (stamping).

..But....

The application tells you to give out your passport #. Which means you CANNOT apply for OCI until you get your passport.

Is this correct?
 
With the application, you need to submit self attested copies of the US Passport and give the details in the application.... so you have to wait till you get the passport. A US passport processing time line is very fast @ 3 weeks ... the OCI processing is dependent on the Consulate/Embassy you apply to... DC and NY are the worst, rest are much better.


You take Oath and immediately apply for US passport.

- Can you apply for OCI at the SAME time? It looks the first stage is just the approval stage. Once you get the approval (~1 month) the passport should arrive and then you can send it for phase 2 (stamping).

..But....

The application tells you to give out your passport #. Which means you CANNOT apply for OCI until you get your passport.

Is this correct?
 
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