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Month: December 2017

Applying for Passport This Christmas? Birth Certificate Not Required

Applying for Passport This Christmas? Birth Certificate Not Required

The passport rule carved in 1980 states that the Indian born on or after 26/01/1989 had to have a birth certificate (BC) from the Municipal Corporation (MC).  This was the provision before July 2017. This rule of immigration was amended.

If you’re likely to apply for the Indian passport on this Christmas, you’d need a host of any of these documents:

  • Aadhaar Card or PAN card (if you’re born before 26/01.1989)
  • Transfer documents issued by school
  • School Leaving Certificate issued by school
  • Matriculation Certificate issued by the educational board

(These three documents contain the date of birth of the applicant. So, the passport authority accepts any of them as an alternative of the birth certificate)

  • LIC policy bonds
  • Driving Licence
  • Voter ID Card

Documents no longer required:

  • Divorce Decree (if you’re divorced)
  • Adoption Certificate (if you’re adopted)
  • Birth certificate (if you’re born before 1989)

Passport Authority Accepts BC Issued By MC:

It’s noteworthy that the passport authority requires birth proof. If you’re annexing the Municipal Corporation drawn birth proof, it would be acceptable. Otherwise, it rejects the same if issued from the hospital or any other authority.

If you’re an NRI (Non-resident of India), you would be equally eligible for getting Aadhaar Card as any other locale. As aforementioned, it would be acceptable. Therefore, you can take it as a good alternative document to apply for the passport from abroad.

If you’ve any suspicion over this amendment, go through the Aadhaar Act 2016. It goes that an NRI who lived here for the duration 182 days or a year immediately prior to the date of application, can apply for Aadhaar. Otherwise, they will not be eligible for this card. Then, such applicants have to apply for the birth certificate in India from MC.

The Aadhaar number is a unique identification code of 12-alphanumeric digits. The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) holds end to end responsibility of issuing the unique identification number. The applicant can apply either online or offline.

He/she needs to follow these steps to get it:

  1. Click and visit this website: uidai.gov.in
  2. Fill the form online.
  3. Download and save.
  4. Take its print out.
  5. Check the nearest enrolment center.
  6. Fix the date of appointment for the in-person visit.
  7. Visit the center along with these documents:
  • Resident proof
  • Birth certificate
  • PAN Card
  • Aadhaar Card Application form

You would be ready to scan your fingerprints and iris. The official at the UIDAI would ask for the biometric details. Once your application would be verified, the enrollment would be done. The official will deliver an acknowledgement slip. This slip would have scripted enrollment number. Subsequently, you can track its status online by inputting that enrollment number.

What Do You Need To Require for Opening NRO Account?

What Do You Need To Require for Opening NRO Account?

If you’re going to the foreign country, check your bank status.

Have you changed it?   

Do you know the overall changes that you require to do with your bank account books?

First, you should know about the NRO account. It stands for the Non-Resident Ordinary (NRO) Rupee A/c. It is a necessity to close any kind of saving, current or fixed account. But you need to have an account called the NRO a/c. Rather than closing an old account, you should change it into this one.

What’s an NRO A/c?

The Indian government orders banks to facilitate a saving account to NRIs. It lets the PIOs (Persons of Indian Origin) and OCIs (Overseas Citizen of India) to do banking through the NRO banking channel. Being a saving account, the immigrant Indians can stockpile their income via, let’s say, rent, dividends, pension from abroad and so on. It offers convenience in managing and keeping your money safe. Several banks, like HDFC, ICICI, SBI, and much more, open this non-resident ordinary rupee account. However, the terms and conditions vary from bank to bank.        

Apart from the remittances between India and foreign, it allows local payment. Unlike an NRE or Non-Resident External Rupees account, you can keep the deposit safe in Indian currency.

Here is the list of ‘what-to-do’ before taking adieu from the home country:

  1. Change the Status:

As stated above, this NRO account ensures smooth, seamless and legible transactions. The Indian diaspora in any country can manage deposits and investment in India through it. You must know that the banks remit foreign currency. If you have a joint account, it’s well and good. Many banks allow you to have it as per RBI rules. But the joint account holder should be an Indian. Even, repatriation is permissible for such a/c holders. Make the mindset that such account permits certain repatriation not a full annual amount.

  1. What Documents are Required:

For opening it, you must provide your valid non-resident proof. That document can be a tax return file, or any other income proof. It’s so because the tax laws enforce scripting NRI status on the document. The RBI strictly bars the non-residents from keeping any residential bank a/c.

  1. Proof of Residence & Status:

Being an NRI, you’ve to provide some documented proof. This is how the conversion process of resident account into non-resident account initiates. Catch on the list of the proofs that you can submit:

  • Identity proof, like Ration Card, PAN Card, Voter ID etc.
  • NRI status proof, like appointment letter of foreign employer or student visa
  • Proof of foreign address
  • Two photographs
  1. Proof of Indian Residency:

What would you show to prove that you’re a non-resident?

As I dropped a clue in the second point of the former section, it can be any letter of foreign employment. If you’re going for studying in abroad, a student visa can be that proof. And if you’re a spouse of the NRI, the dependent visa status can do the trick. Besides these, a photocopy of the resident permit offshore can help you to prove the changed status.

All aforementioned documents should be notarized. Subsequently, the applicant needs to go to the attestation service in India as well to authenticate the evidences. This is why the bank authority accepts all these documented evidence.

  1. Attestation:

When you apply for the visa or passport, every document requires document. It’s already stated that the applicant has to provide the Indian as well as foreign resident proof. When you come with these document proofs, they require to be attested.

Update over Documents Needed for Passport in India

Update over Documents Needed for Passport in India

Many Passport Sewa Kendras (or PSK) process thousands of passport applications every year. India’s first Post Office Passport Sewa Kendra (POPSK) in Mysuru was set up in January, 2017. Since then, it has processed around 15,000 out of 17,899 passport applications successfully.  It’s the enormous sets of stats that just a PSK centre took care of.

Now, you can imagine how many passport applications do 77 PSK process!

It’s one of the significant documents that are mandatory to take along during immigration. It depicts the nationality with the date of the foreign visit. None of the foreign government allows any immigrant sans it. This is why the Indian immigration authority mandated these documents before November, 2017.

Documents required annexing the passport application:

  1. Date of Birth proof for those who are born after 26th January 1989.
  2. Registrar-issued a birth certificate in the Municipal Corporation (MC) of the respective district. If it’s not available, the passport authority accepts the birth proof issued by the head of the Para-Medical office where his/her birth took place.
  3. PAN Card
  4. School Certificate with the scripted date of birth issued by the recognized board or equivalent board
  5. Aadhar Card/ E-Aadhar
  6. Attested proof that states the applicant served in the government service/ Pay Pension Order-attested by the department head/in-charge of the ministry.
  7. Driving Licence
  8. Election Commission’s Election Photo Identity Card (EPIC)
  9. Photocopy of the public life insurance policy bond, if any.

What amendments have been made in the passport policy in 2017? 

It’s related to the documents required for the passport. These are the major changes that are declaimed:

  1. Guardian/Parent’s Name
  • Old Policy: As per old books of passport rules, it was compulsory to mention the name of both (mother and father) parents.

Sadhus/Sanyasi can state the name of their spiritual gurus in the place of guardian’s/parent’s name. This rule is not altered.

  • Update: Now, the government has relaxed the rule of stating both parents’ name. The applicant can mention either of the parent’s names.  
  1. Annexures
  • Old Policy: Earlier, around 15 annexes were mandatory. The applicants needed to fill, notarize and attest these certificates. Some even used to pay for the certificate attestation to the third party.
  • Update: Today, the government has restricted to 9 annexes. The rest of the annexes have been discarded or merged. Therefore, the applicants can enjoy the convenience of submitting limited annexes.
  1. Notarization: It’s an anti-fraud detection program. It scrutinizes the validity and authenticity of the documents as well as transactions.
  • Old Policy: The requisite documents for the processing of passport applicants needed to be notarized. With the request of doing so, the passport applicants had to queue up outside the notary officer or magistrate or sub-divisional magistrate. Sometimes, this process became lengthy and full of hassles.
  • Update: After the changes, the notarization is put to its end. This process is no longer in existence. It means that the applicants would no longer go through the hurly burly situation. The magistrate office will no longer be a crowded hub.
  1. Attestation  
  • Old Policy: Like notarization, the documents for the passport required to be attested by the District Magistrate (DM)/ Sub-Divisional District Magistrate (SDM). This is not the end point of the certificate attestation services. The applicant had to go for the counter-attestation by the Home Ministry. Once these Apostille services were done, the applicant finally went through police verification. A police officer verified the documents required for the tatkal passport or the simple one.
  • Update: The applicants can obtain a plain paper, state and attest. They no longer have to go to the DM or SDM office.
  1. Marriage Certificate
  • Old Policy: If the candidate is married, he/she had to present a marriage certificate as a proof of matrimony. And if the applicant is unfortunately a divorcee, he/she would have to submit the decree absolute.
  • Update: Now, appending such kind of proof is no longer required.

Startup Visa Policy for Immigration To Be Applied in USA

Startup Visa Policy for Immigration To Be Applied in USA

Many revisions in the immigration policy have introduced several ups & downs in the US economy. These upheavals have started shooting when Donald Trump came in the rule. With several cheers to its natives, the changes gave NRI industrialists a violent lurch.

Now, many foreign entrepreneurs have buckled up their shoes to fight for their rights. They went for the lawsuit. Consequently, the district court of the USA has announced a verdict on 4th December, 2017. This verdict got a sigh of relief for the plaintiffs, especially NRIs.

What is International Entrepreneurs Rule?

Aim: International Entrepreneurs Rule or IER is a proposal of the former Obama Administration. It proposes the idea of promoting the footfall of foreign entrepreneurs in the USA.

What: It’s all about granting a temporary parole to the foreign entrepreneurs. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is an official authority to revise it later. Such grant will allow them to stay in the USA and scale up their business. The entrepreneurs would have to meet certain criteria to get it.

This rule got the final touch by the Obama administration. His administration named it as Obama Startup Visa policy. It was proposed with the view to motivate the qualified foreign investors to raise huge capital. Initially, it was proposed to be given temporarily. But later, the USCIS would convert it into a permanent residency provided he/she would comply with the visa rules.

Terms and Conditions of Startup Visa:

Initially, the permanent residency was anticipated to grant via the Startup Visa USA 2017. When the presidency was handed over to the Trump, the time period was restricted. Now, it would be granted for two and a half year. Subsequently, it would be revised for the same duration.

It was announced to be executed in July, 2017. But now, the DHS has officially stated that it would come into effect from March 14, 2018.

Delay in its Implementation:

As aforementioned, the IER was to be enforced earlier. On noticing utmost delay in the implementation, the National Venture Capital Association with several Indians (NVCA) & foreign traders filed a petition in its Federal Court. On hearing, the district court magistrate found that the Trump administration is indeed causing delay. It found the administration’s act as unlawful. Due to it, the traders are encountering unbearable hardships.

The shortage of the dedicated foreign entrepreneurs has started impacting its economy. The fostering of innovation, business activities and dynamism is gradual now. The picture of this economy was not ugly in 2016. More than half of the startups (14 by Indians) were set up by the immigrants. That valued worth $1+ billion. Today, this value fell down due to delays in the implementation of the IER rule.

What are initial parole requirements?

Besides official formalities like application of CENOMAR, birth certificate and other immigration papers, the American government has already put several barriers in applying for the H1B visa rule. Here are a few more announcements to add on IER:

  • The parole seeker entrepreneur must start up the business in the USA within 5 years post applying.
  • The USCIS would stamp the entrepreneur visa for 30 months. Its validation can be elongated further for the same duration (i.e. 30 months).
  • The businessman must prove its great potential in offering job opportunities and exponential growth.
  • Such investors in the economy must acquire at least 10% ownership in that trade. Nonetheless, he/she should be actively involved in that trade activity.

The trade or business must associate with the qualified US investor to invest at least $250, 000. If so is not possible, he/she should take a grant worth $100, 000 from the American government entities.

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