OCI Card Online Archives

Visa Free Travel Restored for OCI Card Holders in US, UK, France

September 30, 2020 Manoj Sodhani Comments 0 Comment

Indian government has restored suspended OCI benefits for Indian-Americans to enjoy visa free traveling across India.

Uplifted Ban on Visa Free Travel for OCIs

After a long spell of drastic pandemic COVID-19 outbreak, Indian government has lifted the ban on OCI card holding Indian-Americans. They can now enjoy visa free traveling across the country. The related community has been passing through ordeals in getting visa for being suspended Overseas Citizens of India services.

This card has been allowing lifelong visa free ride across this country with some restrictions for the people of this origin. Earlier, this facility was paused on April 11 amidst a nationwide lockdown and travel restrictions to break the chain of highly contagious virus.

The decision came out of blues, which creates chaos all around. The affected NRI diaspora faced off anxiety, which took them to social media like Twitter and Facebook for protesting against this decision. The media channels were flocked with narratives of this community, which is undergoing severe pain and trauma because of ceasing this service.

However, these people do not have a complete relaxation, as a few travel restrictions on those who have OCI cards were lifted. This has been so far applied to some emergency categories, which include those who travel for employment or some minors whose parents are Indian natives.

In the first week of August 2020, the Ministry of Home Affairs proclaimed about the restoration of the full travel privileges for overseas citizens of India, who have passport of the USA, the UK, Germany and France. This is done under an “Air Bubble” arrangements (which are also called bilateral air travel arrangements) with all these countries.

The affected community has been waiting for this decision for a long time. This is going to heal them a little bit and minimise their harassment to a great extent. A few of those who have been using the OCI card for past several years recalled that the abruptly banning led to a lot of heartburns among people in Indian diaspora because it was their native country where they could take shelter.

Upon Lifting Ban

The restored service has enabled free traveling for Indian-Americans, which is a great facility to exchange regards between these two countries, according to Alok Kumar- former president of the Federation of Indian Associations of the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

NRIs Reaction

New Jersey-based social activist Deepender Singh was happy to listen to this great news for overseas citizen of india card holder, as the Indian government has seriously thought about the need for relaxation of visa and travel restrictions for more categories of NRIs who want to visit India and their relatives in different states. These are many from the US, the UK, Germany and France.

The ministry has announced that the air bubble scheme is going to be executed in more countries soon. The non-resident community has welcomed this decision, calling it the air bubble opportunities.

Role of Indian Missions
The Indian missions located in the US, the UK, Germany and France will encompass the air bubble arrangement, granting appropriate and quick visa to those who have related documents and have no adverse things corresponding to the arrangement.

It’s a big sigh of relief from the government of India, which has uplifted all travel sanctions on OCI card holders.

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.

Checklist of Documents to Get OCI Card Online

November 25, 2016 Manoj Sodhani Comments 0 Comment

Merger of PIO card to OCI

The bulletin of merging Person of Indian Origin (PIO) card in OCI card created chaos in Indian community abroad in 2014. Non-residents were stricken with fear. Actually, the then prime minister of India Narendra Modi announced this merger. It was a shocking moment for the emigrants’ community since the PIO card was the only licence to battle the difficulties during visits to India.

It’s good news for the Indian diaspora abroad that it has got leverage of lifetime visit to the nation. Conversely, the persons of India could enjoy this leverage for just 15 years.

Checklist of the Documents required for OCI:

Emigrants trap in confusion when it comes to submission of documents. Lacking any document from the checklist of conversion is likely to rejection. Therefore, it is recommended to get well-prepped with the whole checklist in advance.

Documents required:

Completely filled OCI application form with its three duplicate copies
Citizenship certificate
Registration permit and its copy in case the applicant arrived to India 90 days before submitting the OCI application.
Parents’/ Grandparents’ passport of India (It can be current or expired.)
Passport and its photocopy with at least 6 months validity
Indian visa with 3 months validity or PIO card
Birth Certificate in case the applicant is applying on the basis of his/her parents or grandparents.
Marriage certificate
Land ownership records
3 photographs with either grey or white background and no spectacles /caps measuring 35mmX35mm
Affidavit or application if the name of the applicant or its spelling has been changed.
Demand draft of INR 15,000 as a payment if the applicant did not get OCI card online. It can be varied. If it is merged, the fee would be nil or nominal against the postal service. The demand draft should be made in favour of account officer (Secretariat) Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), New Delhi.

Are you confused over what would be the documents of parents and grandparents? Let’s have a roundup of these valid proofs:

Proof of being Indian citizen at the time its constitution was declared. It can be their birth certificate, school certificate or land ownership records.
Proof of their belongings to this country on 15^th August, 1947
Proof of their citizenship on 26^th January 1950. It can be the domicile certificate issued by the competent authority or their passport.

What if the applicant fails to prove his citizenship?

At such critical time, the applicant must obtain nativity certificate. It is issued by the state government. It officially declares that the authentic relation of the applicant with his/her parents and grandparents.

It can be any Baptism certificate issued by the church and attested by the Collector/ District Magistrate.

How to Apply for OCI Card?

May 11, 2016 Manoj Sodhani Comments 1 comment

Also called the Overseas Citizenship of India, the OCI system facilitates a visa-free trip to India. This trip can be concerned with the right of residency, business meeting/ conference and educational activities here. The spouse of an OCI card holder is eligible to apply for this card.

These people have very restricted rights, as they do not have the right to vote. Nor can they buy any agricultural land. Like NRIs, they can claim for inheriting ancestral property in this country.

Apply With Union Home Ministry

The Union Home Ministry has the Bureau of Immigration to look into the application procedure of the overseas citizenship cards. People from any country, except for Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Afghanistan, can get it.

Who can apply?

Children
- Children, grand-children or great grand-children of people who were once the native of India at the time when the Indian constitution was convened on 26th January 1950.
- At least one of the parents is an Indian citizen.
Foreigners
- Who was a citizen of India at the time when the Indian constitution was formed (26 Jan, 1950)
- Who had Indian citizenship when the constitution of India was set up
- Who was a citizen of this country after 15th Aug, 1947
Spouses
- Wife/husband of a OCI/PIO cardholder or Indian citizen, given that the wedding is legally registered and continued for at least 2 continuous years before application

What are the documents required for OCI?

Proof of the present citizenship
Proof of self or parents or grandparents or great grandparents being a citizen of India
Proof of relationship as parent/grandparent/ great grandparent, if their Indian origin is the basis of your registration
Proof of being a foreign spouse of a citizen of India or spouse of foreign origin of an OCI cardholder
Passport size photograph of the applicant
Thumb impression of the applicant

How can you apply for it in India?

The central government has made this procedure way easier, wherein you don’t need to become a victim of corrupted officers. The applicant can apply it online and then, fix an appointment for the verification of documents in-person.

The Form XIX is available in Part A and Part B for the application, which can be filled and submitted online. However, the hardcopies of the same Part A and Part B forms must be manually submitted to the Indian Mission/ Post/ Office together with all the other requested documents.

The applicant can get himself/ herself registered with https://passport.gov.in/oci.
Later, fill up the requisite information & credentials in the digital OCI form.
Upload the requisite documents, as aforementioned.

How long does it take to get?

It may take a month for completing the whole process. This is the case when your application does not have any discrepancies. But if there is any, the procedure can be stretched to the maximum 120 days.

How much fee do you pay?

An application fee of $275 or equivalent amount is what you need to pay for this service. You can submit the duly filled form and fee challan with the Foreigners Regional Registration Offices or at Indian Missions abroad.

Reason of Denial & Cancellation

Upon verification, the Ministry of Home Affairs can reject your application if it finds lack of adequate security clearance, or the candidate is found blacklisted for being a guilty of any fraud or misguiding. Besides, those who is found disrespecting the Indian Constitution can meet rejection of their application.

Cancellation On the Ground Of Dual Citizenship

India does not allow any foreigner to have dual citizenship. If this card’s applicant is already registered as the overseas citizen five years ago, he can get it.

There is a condition to get this status. i.e. the applicant should have been a resident of India for 12 months before applying for this privilege.

Conversion of PIOs into OCIs

Before 2011, the External Affairs Ministry used to issue the Person of Indian Origin (PIO) cards. These are the Indian-origin people who se four generations have been not here in India, except for the people in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan & Afghanistan.

In 2015, the PM Narendra Modi’s cabinet amended the Citizenship Act 2015, announcing these changes:

Existing PIO card holders will automatically be considered as OCI cardholders. They may request to have a separate, dedicated OCI card if required.
Those who have an approved PIO card application will automatically be migrated to the OCI system while marking the former card application as the OCI application form.
Those applicants whose PIO application is not yet approved must reapply with a fresh OCI application form.

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