SIUNGI MKONO NARUDIA TENA,
Labda labda tuige INDIA.
India will not give its citizens dual citizenship
There were strong rumours that the Indian government was going to allow its citizens to be the citizens of two countries but now it is extremely unlikely this will happen. There are too many security concerns. In fact its not just Pakistan or China that India is wary of, there are groups in India (communist and to some extent the BJP) who do not trust the United States and they will never agree to this.
Overseas Citizenship (OCI)
To assuage its citizens abroad India has come out with the Overseas Citizenship (
OCI) scheme. It gives the holder financial benefits and ease of travel
but its important to remember that the OCI does
not entitle one to an Indian passport. Some
might call the OCI Indian citizenship but no way does it mean Indian nationality or real Indian citizenship. The OCI is simply
a stamp on the existing foreign passport
in other words something akin to a life-long visa. Those eligible are Indian migrants from Independent India (and their children and grandchildren) who have acquired foreign citizenship
but not those who have acquired citizenship of Pakistan or Bangladesh or ever were the citizens of these countries. The OCI
gives the following benefits:
- right to indefinitely visit, study or work in India
- right to own most types of property in India (excluding agricultural properties)
- Dispenses with the need to register with local police/immigration authorities
But what it does
not give is:
- Right to vote
- Eligibility for government employment
- Unrestricted access to restricted/protected areas
(For more details on the OCI, please visit the links above and make inquiries with the Indian embassy as these are just brief details)
The Person of Indian Origin (PIO) Card
This is very similar to the OCI, and so are the
eligibility criteria
.if there is a difference in the eligibility criteria, I was not able to access this information. The main difference between the OCI and the PIO is that the PIO is temporary and lasts for 15 years from the date of issue. Also, PIO Card holders are usually required to register with police/immigration authorities if they stay more than 180 days.
The other benefits are similar
and as in the case of the OCI, holders of the POI have no political rights and cannot hold jobs in the government.
(For more details on the PIO, please visit the links above and make inquiries with the Indian embassy as these are just brief details)
Good or bad, no chance of dual citizenship for Indians
As of now Indians will have to be satisfied with the OCI or the PIO. It is bound to hurt those who desperately want to maintain a link with India by keeping their Indian nationality but at the same time do not want to forgo the benefits that their host country will offer if they become its citizens. And why should they? After all, they give their sweat and blood to that foreign country and should expect something in return
but well, for that they need to become citizens. And if they do that, they have to perforce sever their relationship with India
officially I mean.