Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI)
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Overseas Citizenship of India cards
Number of OCI cards issued till Aug 2013
No. of PIOs with overseas Indian citizenship card soars 10 fold
Himanshi Dhawan TNN
The Times of India 2013/08/09
New Delhi: India has been adding to its population not just within its territory but also outside the country. Over 2 lakh people of Indian origin have opted for the overseas citizenship of India (OCI) card every year since 2010 while 1 lakh OCI cards were issued in March-July 2013.
The largest group of overseas citizens of India is in the USA, which boasts of 5.2 lakh card holders, followed by the UK with 3.1 lakh people. Other countries that have a significant number of OCIs are Australia (1.3 lakh) and Canada (1.1 lakh). This means that roughly four out of every five OCIs live in one of these four countries.
OCI card members increased from 1.12 lakh in 2006-2007 to 12.52 lakh as on February 2013, growing more than ten-fold in just seven years. Between February and July 2013, the number of OCI card holders has gone up to 13.72 lakh. In addition, there are 11,672 applications under process in 107 Indian missions and posts across the world.
OCI BRIGADE
US | 5.2 lakh card holders UK | 3.1 lakh Australia | 1.3 lakh Canada | 1.1 lakh
Four out of every 5 OCI card holders live in one of these countries. In last 5 months alone, 1 lakh cards were issued
Saudi Arabia, which plays host to the largest number of overseas Indians, has only 968 OCIs registered. Pakistan has 2 OCIs, Nepal 6, Croatia 8 while Mali and Mongolia have one each. There are 4 OCIs in Libya and 19 in Cambodia, according to the data collated by the ministry of overseas Indian affairs (MOIA). The card is not given to citizens of Pakistan and Bangladesh.
OCI can’t be read as dual citizenship
However, overseas citizenship of India card (OCI) cannot be construed as “dual citizenship” as card holders do not have the right to vote, hold a constitutional post, run for elections or buy agricultural or plantation land. The scheme is open only for persons of Indian origin (PIOs) who were eligible or were already citizens of India as on January 26, 1950.
The OCI card provides multiple-entry, multi-purpose lifelong entry visa for visiting India and exemption from registration with local police authorities for any length of stay. It also allows parity with non-resident Indians with respect to economic, financial and educational fields, facilitates inter-country adoption of Indian children, allows opening of bank account in India and be charged the same entry fees as NRIs at national monuments, national parks and museums.
OCIs also get parity with non-resident Indians in respect of practicing professions in India like doctors, dentists, nurses, pharmacists, advocates, architects and chartered accountantssubject to the relevant laws governing these professions.
2015: Merger with PIO
Citizenship ordinance merging PIO, OCI schemes gets Prez nod
The Times of India Jan 07 2015
The President cleared an ordinance amending the Indian Citizenship Act to merge the Person of Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) schemes. The amendments relaxed the stipulation of one-year continuous stay in India by certain categories of applicants -including a PIO, a foreign national married to an Indian citizen and an OCI of 5 years -before they can seek Indian citizenship.
The President has signed the citizenship ordinance, President's press secretary Venu Rajamony was quoted by agencies as saying. Home ministry officials confirmed the development. The amendments to the Citizenship Act will merge the benefits of PIO and OCI schemes and rename the combined project as Indian Overseas Cardholder scheme. The PIOs would thus enjoy a life-long Indian visa, besides exemption from registering themselves with the Foreigners Registration Office Foreigner Regional Registration Office (FROFRRO) if their stay in India exceeds six months. This is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's assurance to the Indian diaspora at New York's Madison Square Garden, where he announced life-time visas for PIOs as well as merger of the PIO and OCI schemes. The decision to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955 was taken after a large number of representations were received from PIOs, complaining about police reporting required beyond 180 days of stay , within the next 30 days. Also, PIO cardholders were eligible for only 15-year visas, as against life-long visas provided to those OCI card-holders.
