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OCI Card Holders: How it offers flexibility to foreign nationals of Indian origin
In September, following concerns from Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card holders about being reclassified as 'foreigners,' the Ministry of External Affairs clarified that no changes had been made to OCI regulations. Yet, many people had confusion with regard to the rights and privileges of OCI cardholders, and what flexibility it offers to the foreign nationals of Indian origin. Read on to find out all the details.Introduced in 2005, the OCI card allows individuals of Indian origin—who were citizens of India on or after January 26, 1950—to register themselves as Overseas Citizens of India, which also offer them certain privileges. This proposal was initially proposed by Home Minister LK Advani, which aimed to create a form of dual citizenship for the Indian diaspora.
Foreign nationals with Indian origin, who hold an OCI card are granted a lifetime, multiple-entry visa to India, which means they no longer require to repeatedly go through the process of seeking a visa to enter India. Further, no matter how long they have been in the country, they are exempt from registering with the local police.
If reports are to go by, there are currently more than 4.5 million OCI cardholders registered globally, with a large number residing in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada.
Source: timestravel
