OCI = Dual citizenship?

[mario123]

Is OCI considered "dual citizenship" in a true sense? If so, can you provide some documentation and links? The reason I ask is that I do work for the Fed. govt. and any connotations of dual citizenship are scrutenized. Moreso, the Indian embassy seems to be ambiguous about this and so does the state dept.

On the CGI web site it says the following:

"The Constitution of India does not allow holding Indian citizenship and citizenship of a foreign country simultaneously. Based on the recommendation of the High Level committee on Indian Diaspora, the Government of India decided to grant Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) commonly known as ‘Dual Citizenship’. "

then it says:

"A person registered as OCI is eligible to apply for grant of Indian citizenship under section 5(1)(g) of the Citizenship Act, 1955 if he/she is registered as OCI for five years ...."

then in the FAQ sect., this is what I found:

1) Will the applicant lose his citizenship after registering as OCI?
No. As only citizens of the country which allows dual citizenship under the local laws in some form or the other are eligible for applying for registration as OCI, losing foreign citizenship does not arise.

2) Can a person registered as OCI be granted Indian citizenship?
Yes. As per the provisions of section 5(1) (g) of the Citizenship Act, 1955, a person who is registered as OCI for 5 years and is residing in India for 1 year out of the above 5 years, is eligible to apply for Indian Citizenship.

3) Can an OCI be entitled to apply for and obtain a normal Indian passport which is given to a citizen of India?
No. Indian Passport is given only to an Indian citizen.


Looks like a mixture of contradictions! In the first part it says that India does not allow dual citizenship, but then allows "overseas citizenship". Then in the last sect., it says that you can apply for citizenship after being on OCI for 5 yrs, etc.!! Huh?

I'm really confused after reading that!

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks

 

[MasterUSA]

OCI is not dual-citizenship period.

 

[C R S]

Here's the Department of State's take on OCI:

SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES: In 2006, India launched the “Overseas Citizens of India” (OCI) program, which has often been mischaracterized as a dual nationality program, although 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 Above for more information on the FRRO). For more information on the OCI program, please see www.mha.nic.in/oci/oci-main.htm.

The complete article can be found at http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1139.html.

 

[mario123]

Thanks!!

Here's the Department of State's take on OCI:


The complete article can be found at http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1139.html.

Thanks C R S!

That's exactly what I was looking for.

I have made a printout and will keep it just in case anyone ever questions whether I am a dual citizen. The funny thing is that this is the most unambiguous definition of OCI that I have seen. Too bad the CGI's or Indian Embassy can't put up a simple clear definition like this.

 

[C R S]

The Indian Government wants to make OCI sound as attractive as possible and so it is hardly surprising that they do not describe it the way the State Department does!

For Federal Government employees such as yourself, the only thing that matter is how the US Government views OCI.

 

[mario123]

The problem

The Indian Government wants to make OCI sound as attractive as possible and so it is hardly surprising that they do not describe it the way the State Department does!

For Federal Government employees such as yourself, the only thing that matter is how the US Government views OCI.

The problem with the term "OCI" is exactly that - the word "citizenship". If it's NOT "dual citizenship", then why the f- -k call it "Overseas citizenship"? Just call it ORI - "Overseas Resident of India". Calling it OCI is what causes the confusion, and in cases like mine where I do projects for the Feds., that is a potential problem during security clearences.

That being said, do you know what the U-Sticker says? Does it say OCI or some other babble?

 

[C R S]

The term "overseas citizen" is much more appealing than "overseas resident." On a more serious note, I believe that there was enough support for full-citizenship but along the way the program got derailed because of "security concerns." OCI was the compromise. Had the PIO scheme been a success, the OCI scheme may not have been implemented.