OCI causes to loose US Citizenship?

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citizen107

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I recently got naturalized as US citizen. Previously I was a Citizen of India. Now if I apply for OCI, Do I loose my US Citizenship automatically. I read in State department articles that if a US citizen applies for any foreign nationality, he automatically looses US Citizenship. Does Indian government have an agreement with US government that OCI is not a Indian Citizenship. I think one should make sure about this before pursuing OCI, lot of people are just applying because their friends have applied before them without knowing the real facts from US Government about the implications of OCI on US citizenship.

Please provide your valuable feedback on this above clarification? Thanks
 
citizen107 said:
I recently got naturalized as US citizen. Previously I was a Citizen of India. Now if I apply for OCI, Do I loose my US Citizenship automatically. I read in State department articles that if a US citizen applies for any foreign nationality, he automatically looses US Citizenship. Does Indian government have an agreement with US government that OCI is not a Indian Citizenship. I think one should make sure about this before pursuing OCI, lot of people are just applying because their friends have applied before them without knowing the real facts from US Government about the implications of OCI on US citizenship.

Please provide your valuable feedback on this above clarification? Thanks
Click to expand...

No, you don't lose your US citizenship when you become OCI. For what it is worth, US State Department also agrees that OCI is not dual citizenship, but something akin to the US Green Card.

From http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1139.html#special_circumstance

SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES:
Dual Nationality: In 2006, India launched the "Overseas Citizens of India" (OCI) program, which has often been mischaracterized as a dual nationality program, as it does not grant Indian citizenship. Thus, an American who obtains an OCI card is not a citizen of India and remains a citizen of the United States. An OCI card in reality is similar to a U.S. "green card" in that a holder can travel to and from India indefinitely, work in India, study in India, and own property in India (except for certain agricultural and plantation properties). An OCI holder, however, does not receive an Indian passport, cannot vote in Indian elections and is not eligible for Indian government employment. The OCI program is similar to the Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) card introduced by the Indian government several years ago, except that PIO holders must still register with Indian immigration authorities, and PIO cards are not issued for an indefinite period. American citizens of Indian descent can apply for PIO or OCI cards at the Indian Embassy in Washington, or at the Indian Consulates in Chicago, New York, San Francisco and Houston. Inside India, American citizens can apply at the nearest FRRO office (please see “Entry/Exit Requirements” section above for more information on the FRRO). For more information on the OCI program, please see http://mha.nic.in/uniquepage.asp?Id_Pk=551.
 
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citizen107 said:
I recently got naturalized as US citizen. Previously I was a Citizen of India. Now if I apply for OCI, Do I loose my US Citizenship automatically. I read in State department articles that if a US citizen applies for any foreign nationality, he automatically looses US Citizenship. Does Indian government have an agreement with US government that OCI is not a Indian Citizenship. I think one should make sure about this before pursuing OCI, lot of people are just applying because their friends have applied before them without knowing the real facts from US Government about the implications of OCI on US citizenship.

Please provide your valuable feedback on this above clarification? Thanks
Click to expand...

Yes, when you hit the 'Submit' button on the online OCI application, it triggers a message which tells the Americans to strip your US Citizenship. Scary. NOT.

Just kidding.

Enjoy... you will NOT lose your US citizenship by becoming an OCI. Don't worry. OCI is designed for use by foreign citizens. It's merely the Indian equivalent of a US Green Card. The word 'Citizen' in OCI is misleading.
 
akgarg said:
No, you don't lose your US citizenship when you become OCI. For what it is worth, US State Department also agrees that OCI is not dual citizenship, but something akin to the US Green Card.

From http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_p.../cis_1139.html

SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES:
Dual Nationality: In 2006, India launched the "Overseas Citizens of India" (OCI) program, which has often been mischaracterized as a dual nationality program, as it does not grant Indian citizenship. Thus, an American who obtains an OCI card is not a citizen of India and remains a citizen of the United States. An OCI card in reality is similar to a U.S. "green card" in that a holder can travel to and from India indefinitely, work in India, study in India, and own property in India (except for certain agricultural and plantation properties). An OCI holder, however, does not receive an Indian passport, cannot vote in Indian elections and is not eligible for Indian government employment. The OCI program is similar to the Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) card introduced by the Indian government several years ago, except that PIO holders must still register with Indian immigration authorities, and PIO cards are not issued for an indefinite period. American citizens of Indian descent can apply for PIO or OCI cards at the Indian Embassy in Washington, or at the Indian Consulates in Chicago, New York, San Francisco and Houston. Inside India, American citizens can apply at the nearest FRRO office (please see “Entry/Exit Requirements” section above for more information on the FRRO). For more information on the OCI program, please see http://mha.nic.in/uniquepage.asp?Id_Pk=551.
Click to expand...

This has probably been discussed ad infinitum but isn't OCI clearly a misnomer when it's not intended to award the status of a citizen on the applicant? I'm wondering why the term Overseas Citizen of India was chosen when it isn't a citizenship. The nomenclature is misleading and easily confuses people until they do further research.

To the original poster, like it's been said, OCI will not cause you to lose your US citizenship.
 
It is a little different from the US Green Card..

since it is only granted to people who can establish an Indian Origin, either by birth or marriage...
 
indian origin by birth or descent within 2 generations, not marriage.
Dual citizenship is explicitly prohibited by the constitution of India ( was necessary at that time due to partition - did not want dual Indian/pakistani citizens). Repealing this article is not possible politically and is a very onerous process. As a sop to its diaspora, the Govt of India came up with OCI as a compromise. Is it misleading to have the term Citizen in this? well I think opinions differ - in a strictly etymological sense it is wrong, but it makes the holder ( speaking for myself) emotionaly connected to India.
 
Oci

After dual citizenship (i:e OCI), can we still apply for US federal governament JOB's? are we still eligible? does anyone have faced any problem joining federal governament JOB's ?. I know as OCI perosn is not eligilble for Indian governament job.
 
krishnatrk said:
After dual citizenship (i:e OCI), can we still apply for US federal governament JOB's? are we still eligible? does anyone have faced any problem joining federal governament JOB's ?. I know as OCI perosn is not eligilble for Indian governament job.
Click to expand...

Correction: As has been said many times before, OCI is not dual citizenship.
 
krishnatrk said:
But new in the air is that the candidate holing OCI has been rejected for Federal JOB's
Click to expand...

I was only trying to reiterate the fact that, contrary to what the name implies, OCI is not dual citizenship (as has been recognized by the US State Department as well - see earlier posting in this thread).

Whether an OCI can get certain level of security clearance for federal jobs is a separate matter altogether and I don't know if this is the right forum to address each individual situation. There was some discussion on this topic in this thread: http://boards.immigration.com/showthread.php?t=282141 which you may find useful.
 
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