PIO vs. OCI

K

kagemusha

Registered Users (C)
Any advantage to PIO vs. OCI ? It seems to cost more and offer fewer benefits. Could the processing time (clearly longer for OCI) be the only reason people still go for PIO (unless they are not eligible for OCI) ?

I will be taking my oath on July 2 and will hopefully get my passport by the end of July (with expedited processing). I will be going to India a month or two after that and I was wondering which would work best for me - a multiple entry visa, PIO or OCI.

If I get the OCI process started and decide at short notice to go to India (I will have to get a visa for that), can I put the OCI on hold to finish it when I get back ? Or will they consider my application abandoned if I don't send them my passport for stamping when they ask for it ? Also can I start the process here and get the actual stamping done in India ? Please advise.

-KM
 
What is best for you depends on your travel plans and the embassy where you apply for OCI, the new york embassy seem to finish the whole process in a month but Chicago is taking 4-6 months to process the OCI. The PIO seems to take about a month (atleast from SF embassy) but there seems to be no point in getting the PIO if you eventually are going to apply for OCI. If, I were you, I would apply for OCI and If I need to travel, I would get a VISA and I do not think it affects your OCI application, if you are in India for 2-3 months while your OCI card is waiting in the embassy, you should be ok. I have seen atleast one case on trackitt.com (do a google search for OCI tracker and you will get the correct link), where people sent in their passports after 6 months for stamping as they were waiting for the embassy to contact them instead of checking for the online status.

I thought the PIO costs less than OCI but when I checked the fees, you are correct because it costs $310 instead of $275 for OCI. For children it costs less($155) and you can later on get OCI for only $25 but if you include the express mail charges and the headache of applying twice, it may not be worth the trouble, I asked the same question to a friend of mine who applied for a PIO card for his daughter, who is only 5 months old, his reasoning was I can get this quicker and he needs to update the photo on the PIO/OCI card after a few years anyways, so will have to send it to the embassy in few years.

Secondly, not everyone is qualified to be an OCI, for kids born in the U.S.A, my understanding is one of the parents need to be an U.S (or foreign) citizen to qualify for an OCI card, if both of them have visas/green cards, they do not qualify for OCI.



kagemusha said:
Any advantage to PIO vs. OCI ? It seems to cost more and offer fewer benefits. Could the processing time (clearly longer for OCI) be the only reason people still go for PIO (unless they are not eligible for OCI) ?

I will be taking my oath on July 2 and will hopefully get my passport by the end of July (with expedited processing). I will be going to India a month or two after that and I was wondering which would work best for me - a multiple entry visa, PIO or OCI.

If I get the OCI process started and decide at short notice to go to India (I will have to get a visa for that), can I put the OCI on hold to finish it when I get back ? Or will they consider my application abandoned if I don't send them my passport for stamping when they ask for it ? Also can I start the process here and get the actual stamping done in India ? Please advise.

-KM
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I am in the same position and in a dilemma about what to do.....I need to travel to India on July 27th for about a month. OCI is out of the question because I won't get it before 7/27. PIO costs are huge for 4 family members. Both my kids were born here. Are they eligible for PIO or are my only options visa or OCI?

Please advise

Thanks
 
Thankfully I come under the jurisdiction of the NYC Embassy and so it probably doesn't make any sense for me to even think about PIO. I will apply for OCI and if I need to go to India in the interim I will go to NYC and get a visa (NYC is just a little over an hour away from here).

-KM
 
You can apply for PIO for the kids but I am not sure if you can get the PIO before your travel date.

mario123 said:
I am in the same position and in a dilemma about what to do.....I need to travel to India on July 27th for about a month. OCI is out of the question because I won't get it before 7/27. PIO costs are huge for 4 family members. Both my kids were born here. Are they eligible for PIO or are my only options visa or OCI?

Please advise

Thanks
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