August 2017 - S2NRI

PIO to Convert Into OCI for Admission in Deemed Varsities

August 19, 2017 Manoj Sodhani Comments 0 Comment

It’s really interesting to know that around 30+ million Indians live abroad. Out of them, 17,835,407 expats are PIOs whereas 13,008,012 form non-residents’ diaspora, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

31^st December 2017- Last date for PIO to OCI Conversion:

The PIO concept is fading out of the immigration mirror. The Modi-led Indian government had announced for the merger of PIO cards into OCIs in 2014. While taking the benefits of latter card into account, the government introduced this change. This decision was composed to dispel the confusion over the usage of both cards.

PIO or Person of Indian Origin Card was launched in 2005 with its validity timeline of 15 years. Its holders could travel, work and even reside in India till the end of 15 years.

On the flip side, OCI or Overseas Citizen of India Card came with great package of benefits & value additions for the expats of Indian origin. Their travel across Indian Territory would be valid till lifetime. No specific visa would need to be taken for meaningful visit, like gaining education or professional training. The benefits of this card are far more than that of former card. This is why PIO to OCI conversion is made mandatory.

This is the 4^th time when Indian PM extended the due date for the conversion of the PIO card. There are many Indians who serve their duties in Israel, China, Malaysia and many other countries. Their responsibilities regarding job and other factors cause delays in this conversion. This is why the due date is extended so that the expats from India can get it converted during the extended period.

Allowed OCI Students to Take Admission in Medical:

The conversion of PIOs into OCIs will definitely be a silver lining for the NRI aspirants who want to take admission in the medical field. Recently, the Karnataka High Court granted admission of the OCI students to the undergraduate medical and dental courses. This permission is valid for those who have been appeared and cleared the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). They are permitted to take admission in any deem university under the management quota.

What did the court announce regarding admission of OCI students?

Such expats would be eligible to take admission in any deemed university under the management quota.
The Director General of Health Services (DGHS) would notify all the OCI students regarding this order of the court. He would also convey the on-going second round of the admission counseling for the MBBS and BDS courses.
OCI students will be entitled to take admissions in all quotas, including management, government and NRI. This is declaimed in the interim order of the Bench that comprised the Medical Council of India.
The quota for the OCI students would be extended to all India quota medical seats in the state-run medical colleges.
Under Citizenship Act, overseas citizens would have no bar in law to take admission in the deemed varsities. This act delivers them the right to take exam of all-India pre-medical test or any other test for the persuasion of career in any other field.

These interim orders have given a lease of life to the NRI students who want to catch up their career in medical field. They can apply for the OCI card in India or file a petition for the conversion of PIO card (if they have) to shape up their career in India. Once acquired this card, they would be able to grab its leverages lifelong.

10 Tips to Crack Green Card Marriage Interview for the US

August 14, 2017 Manoj Sodhani Comments 0 Comment

Getting settled post marriage with the US spouse in America is a can of worms. A little mistake can create barriers in union with the better-half.

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) holds all responsibilities to carry on all formalities ethically. Be it rendering K1 or K3 visa for marriage or H1 B visa for business travel, it looks after every matter that is concerned with the immigration process.

After getting the K-1 or K-3 visa for solemnizing marriage with the US partner, the immigrant spouse must apply for a change of status. Green card awards this status. But getting it is not like a piece of pie. The foreign spouse has to pass through the ordeal of ‘question-n-answer’ round at the USCIS office. The interview goes on and finally, the permanent residency is awarded.

But out of around 45K immigrants, only a few enable to get it. Most of them fail in the green card marriage interview in the US. So, this blog surrounds that specific interview and the tips to crack it.

Be Punctual: Don’t be late for the interview. The coolest way to get off the grudge of the USCIS officers is to reach half an hour before the scheduled time of interview. It’s better to mark presence in the pair.
Dress Properly: I’m not saying that you have to dress like to kill. But your dressing should be impactful, sober and sophisticated. You have to put on formals for looking good before the federal. Bear in mind that you are going for one-o-one round in the federal building.
Be ready with all documents: The officers would appreciate with a whole heart if you come with all the documents of marital relationship. If there is any marriage certificate from the foreign country where matrimony took place, take it along. If there is no such proof, apply for it. Don’t forget to apply for the certificate attestation in India at MEA office and embassy. These proofs can be:

Wedding invitation
Wedding photograph/portfolio
Birth certificate
Birth certificate of children (if any)
Property papers
Photographs
Marriage certificate
Joint bank account
LIC or any other insurance document and so on.

Be a good listener: It is advisable to mark your presence at the federal building with a fresh mind. Be ready to all ears and answer accordingly. The interview will go on around 30 minutes. So, carry all the documents in organized format.

Don’t try to be over smart while providing additional answers to the simple question. Make eye-contact while talking and be patient while answering.

Don’t sound fake or unnatural: Don’t be the story-teller. If you don’t remember the date or time of first meeting before marriage, confess that you don’t remember. Creating a story may reflect you fake or sound unnatural. The officers can be skeptical, then.
No specific query: No specific questions are there in preparation for the interview. All questions would be spun around the marriage, such as when did you meet first, which gift your husband gave after marriage and so on.
Ask from the marital history: Most of the questions would have the dash of history of the relationship. For example, was it the arrange marriage or love marriage? When did you meet and where for the first time? And so on.

Therefore, memorize all such things and be ready to answer in the short fragment of time.

Do you know each-other well?

The officers will try to identify the truth of your relationship. The way you show your mutual understanding while answering will satisfy them. But if the answers of both do not match, they can run “Stroke interview”.

In the stroke interview, each spouse has to counter the questions separately. The queries will be very common and easy to answer. At the end, the officers will match the answers of identical questions. In case, they find any difference, they can reject your petition for the green card.

Test of mutual understanding: The officers would be adept at noticing your gestures and body language. If they trace any sign of fake relationship via your talkative nature or too much of clarifications, they would reject the petition.
Take assistance: If you have any immigration attorney, take along. And face the interview with him/her. You can premeditate or consult the attorney for taking a few vital tips for facing that interview.

How to Get Birth Certificate in India via NABC for Passport?

August 5, 2017 Manoj Sodhani Comments 0 Comment

The proof of birth is a key to get through official documentation like a walkover. Without it, getting passport or visa is a nightmare. Several of Indians encounter various legalities for seeking it. But ignorance and incomplete knowledge can be painful.

Officially, birth should be registered within 21 days of mandatory timeline in India. And many of us get it within stipulated time. But later, they lose it due to fire or some other reasons. They turn blind eye to this mandate. They realize their stupidity & ignorance when their application for passport or visa is rejected due to having no birth proof.

What should be done at that moment? How can you get unregistered birth after 20 or 30 years? If these queries are yours, catch the information as it carries the answer to your birth registration questions.

Getting birth certificate from municipal authorities in India is a herculean task. The registrar of civil agency rejects application of unregistered birth. But this problem is not the end of the world. It can be sorted out by withdrawing non-availability of birth certificate (NABC).

Let’s have a glance over its definition.

Non-Availability of Birth Certificate (NABC):

It’s a legal document certifying that the search has been made to find birth proof of a particular person under Section 17 of Registration of Birth & Death Act. But no evidence of original birth proof has been traced.

This document can be used as a licence to raise new original birth certificate. Some authorities might approve it in the place of birth certificate but it may not compulsorily happen.

Where should you apply for NABC in India?

The competent authority that holds the power to issue it is Municipal Corporation (MC). If the region is rural and no such governing body exists, the person can seek it from the vaccination centre. The head of para-medical staff holds the authority of issuing NABC format to register unregistered birth.

There might be some critical birth situations when none of these authorities would be approached. A few of these are:

If the person was born in a vehicle
If the person was born in jail
If the person was born at public place
If the person was born at home.

In all the above situations, the person can approach to the nearest MC office where the birth occurred for withdrawing his/her NABC. As a proof, he/she must have the letter of incharge (of vehicle)/ jail. If home was the birth place, the letter of the head of the family and 2 other witnesses’ who were 10+ years of age at the time of birth should be presented. These witnesses can be relative or family member or friend.

What is the checklist of documents required for NABC?

School Certificate
Affidavit
Driving licence
PAN Card
Ration Card
Voter ID Card
Aadhaar Card
Letter of the witnesses.
Parent’s ID proof.

Is it possible to get birth certificate for passport with NABC in India?

Passport authority approves authentic birth proof. Once you have obtained it, you can apply for original birth certificate from the MC. The authority verifies the validity and authenticity of supporting documents, like birth and address proofs. Thereafter, it is issued.

How to get it online via third party?

As an example, S2NRI is considered as the third party. It helps in getting unregistered birth registered.

Go to the site ‘com’.
Sign up if you are a new user.
Sign in if you are registered with the site.
Send your inquiry as ‘for seeking NABC’. A reply with ‘thank you’ greeting will be delivered to your inbox.
The customer support officer will catch you on phone or shoot an email in reply.
Send the scanned copy of all supporting documents.
Pay the minimum amount against the service online.
The certificate will be dropped to your inbox within 15 to 30 days.

Thereafter, you can apply for your passport at the nearest ‘Passport Sewa Kendra’.

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Month: August 2017