OCI or PIO?

H

havanargila

New Member
I am an American citizen, no Indian heritage at all, born in America, american Passport.

My husband is an Indian Citizen, Indian passport, born in India, holds a green card

We have been married for nearly 2 years

We have a Toddler (19 month old) son, born in America, has American Passport and citizenship.

I have 2 questions:
Can I get an OCI card? Or must I get a PIO card?
Can my son get an OCI card? OR must he get a PIO card?

Thanks
Jennifer
 
Q: Can I get an OCI card? Or must I get a PIO card?
A: You are not eligible for OCI. You could apply either for PIO or for an entry visa. Your husband, on the other hand, will be eligible to apply for either of the two if and when he acquires US Citizenship.
Q: Can my son get an OCI card? OR must he get a PIO card?
A: Your son (assuming he was born in USA) can apply for either as he would be eligible for both.
 
havanargila said:
I am an American citizen, no Indian heritage at all, born in America, american Passport.

My husband is an Indian Citizen, Indian passport, born in India, holds a green card

We have been married for nearly 2 years

We have a Toddler (19 month old) son, born in America, has American Passport and citizenship.

I have 2 questions:
Can I get an OCI card? Or must I get a PIO card?
Can my son get an OCI card? OR must he get a PIO card?

Thanks
Jennifer
Click to expand...

Jennifer, I can relate very closely to your family situation.

You are only eligible for PIO and not an OCI. If you have no intent on residing in India long-term and are only planning visits to the in-laws, it probably makes more sense for you to apply for the 10-year visitor visa which is way less than the cost of a 15-year PIO card.

For your son, he is eligible for OCI, PIO or a 10-year visitor visa. It makes a lot of sense to apply for an OCI status for your son both because it is less expensive than a PIO and also it is a lifelong status. However, note that until your son turns 20, every time he gets a new passport (which in the US is every five years until age 16), he will need to get an updated OCI visa sticker in his passport. It doesn't cost all that much for doing this though. If your husband intends to become a US citizen and based on the info you mentioned, he will be eligible to do so in about a year's time, your husband and your son could apply together for the OCI on the same application. This is assuming there is no rush on your family's part to get your son his India-related status established.

JP
 
Thanks, I thought that was the case that I had to get a PIO card, but I wasn't sure about my son, since he's a baby and has one parent us citizen and the other parent Indian citizen whether he was eligible for the OCI card.
It was not clear on the OCI description to me, so thanks for clearing that up.

Any idea if the OCI card can be rushed? I heard it can take 4 months and we are travelling to India in 2 months.
 
havanargila said:
Thanks, I thought that was the case that I had to get a PIO card, but I wasn't sure about my son, since he's a baby and has one parent us citizen and the other parent Indian citizen whether he was eligible for the OCI card.
It was not clear on the OCI description to me, so thanks for clearing that up.

Any idea if the OCI card can be rushed? I heard it can take 4 months and we are travelling to India in 2 months.
Click to expand...

OCI cannot be rushed. You might just want to pay for a shorter term (and less expensive) visitor visa for your son and then apply for the OCI when you return. You could also at least get the OCI process started and see how things progress ... at the very least, you will get it sooner than if you started the application after your trip.
 
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