Dual citizenship for NRIs put on hold

shere · May 16th, 2005, 14:56

Dual citizenship for NRIs put on hold
Rajeev Sharma
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 15
The Ministry of Home Affairs has put on hold Overseas Indian Citizenship (OIC), also known as Dual Citizenship. This is because the ministry is in the midst of revising the procedure for the registration of overseas citizenship. This exercise will take a few months to be completed.

In view of this, the ministry has temporarily put on hold the dual citizenship process till the revised process is sent for implementation to more than 150 diplomatic missions India and abroad. The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs is in touch with the Ministries of Home and External Affairs and the Indian missions abroad to clarify and coordinate matters.

The ministry had circulated a draft Cabinet note containing proposals to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955 and is awaiting clearance of the Ministry of Law and Justice to bring the matter before the Cabinet.

Revised rules incorporating simplified application form/procedures are at this stage being cleared by the Ministry of Law and Justice and would shortly be notified. Pending this, acceptance of applications and registration of Overseas Indian Citizenship has been put on hold. The process would start again once new rules are notified and also put on their website.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had made certain important announcements regarding Overseas Indian Citizenship at Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2005 on January 7 in Mumbai.

The Prime Minister’s announcements had following four components: (1) Overseas Indian Citizenship would not be restricted to 16 countries but made available to overseas Indians in any country whose laws permit dual citizenship. (2) The application forms and procedures would be simplified. (3) Various options regarding the document of Overseas Indian Citizenship, including a smart card, would be considered. (4) The benefits of Overseas Indian Citizenship would be clearly spelt out.

On the Prime Minister’s suggestion the ministry is exploring a better option: a registration certificate printed on security paper. This would be used along with a visa sticker that would enable the Overseas Indian Citizenship to travel to India without applying for a visa each time. Other options could be considered later.

The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs’ Secretary told the Standing Committee on External Affairs, which presented its report to the Lok Sabha three weeks ago, that a new category of citizenship has been created — Overseas Citizen of India— which would be through a process of registration.

By June or July, this process would initially start in 16 countries where it has already been notified. The government is going to amend the existing laws to enlarge the scope beyond these 16 countries.

The ministry is currently working on simplification of a host of rules which were cumbersome. For example, the application forms for Overseas Indian Citizenship were lengthy and asked the applicant to disclose a lot of personal details. These application forms had to submitted to Indian missions overseas, which, in turn, had to be transmitted to New Delhi for sanction.

Now, powers will be delegated to Indian consulates abroad to sanction the applications and in the next three months or so, the Overseas Indian Citizenship facility will start in 16 countries already short listed. As a result, whosoever is living these 16 countries, if eligible, can apply and within two weeks his application would be considered and he will be granted registration.

The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, in its agenda for action under ‘Diaspora Services’, is also considering extending new benefits like voting rights to Overseas Indian Citizens.

crvlvr · May 17th, 2005, 00:47

I would have been surprised any Indian govt endeavor went off without a hitch. Wait a minte, they are actually simplifying something?!

GoanCanuck · May 17th, 2005, 03:59

Ahhhhhh...I was just about to send my application with the processing fee. Now the wait begins.

Digital Drifter · May 17th, 2005, 12:16

We simplify it in the following way

1) instead of triplicates, duplicate copies would do
2) Please get them attested by a gazetted Class I officer or Magistrate.
3) All copies must be in original(makes sense?)
4) Instead of the last 5 places you stayed in the last 10 years, 3 places in the last 5 years should be provided as proof.
5) for 4) at least one utility bill for each place should be produced.
6) The need for upper case letters has been dropped.
7) instead of 31 sections to fill ,we got it down to 29 (we're not interested in your grandfather's name and town)

In short, it's still the same application.

May 16th, 2005, 14:56	#1
shere Maha Guru Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: England Posts: 1,105	Dual citizenship for NRIs put on hold Dual citizenship for NRIs put on hold Rajeev Sharma Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 15 The Ministry of Home Affairs has put on hold Overseas Indian Citizenship (OIC), also known as Dual Citizenship. This is because the ministry is in the midst of revising the procedure for the registration of overseas citizenship. This exercise will take a few months to be completed. In view of this, the ministry has temporarily put on hold the dual citizenship process till the revised process is sent for implementation to more than 150 diplomatic missions India and abroad. The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs is in touch with the Ministries of Home and External Affairs and the Indian missions abroad to clarify and coordinate matters. The ministry had circulated a draft Cabinet note containing proposals to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955 and is awaiting clearance of the Ministry of Law and Justice to bring the matter before the Cabinet. Revised rules incorporating simplified application form/procedures are at this stage being cleared by the Ministry of Law and Justice and would shortly be notified. Pending this, acceptance of applications and registration of Overseas Indian Citizenship has been put on hold. The process would start again once new rules are notified and also put on their website. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had made certain important announcements regarding Overseas Indian Citizenship at Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2005 on January 7 in Mumbai. The Prime Minister’s announcements had following four components: (1) Overseas Indian Citizenship would not be restricted to 16 countries but made available to overseas Indians in any country whose laws permit dual citizenship. (2) The application forms and procedures would be simplified. (3) Various options regarding the document of Overseas Indian Citizenship, including a smart card, would be considered. (4) The benefits of Overseas Indian Citizenship would be clearly spelt out. On the Prime Minister’s suggestion the ministry is exploring a better option: a registration certificate printed on security paper. This would be used along with a visa sticker that would enable the Overseas Indian Citizenship to travel to India without applying for a visa each time. Other options could be considered later. The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs’ Secretary told the Standing Committee on External Affairs, which presented its report to the Lok Sabha three weeks ago, that a new category of citizenship has been created — Overseas Citizen of India— which would be through a process of registration. By June or July, this process would initially start in 16 countries where it has already been notified. The government is going to amend the existing laws to enlarge the scope beyond these 16 countries. The ministry is currently working on simplification of a host of rules which were cumbersome. For example, the application forms for Overseas Indian Citizenship were lengthy and asked the applicant to disclose a lot of personal details. These application forms had to submitted to Indian missions overseas, which, in turn, had to be transmitted to New Delhi for sanction. Now, powers will be delegated to Indian consulates abroad to sanction the applications and in the next three months or so, the Overseas Indian Citizenship facility will start in 16 countries already short listed. As a result, whosoever is living these 16 countries, if eligible, can apply and within two weeks his application would be considered and he will be granted registration. The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, in its agenda for action under ‘Diaspora Services’, is also considering extending new benefits like voting rights to Overseas Indian Citizens.

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May 17th, 2005, 00:47	#2
crvlvr Guru Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Hollywood Posts: 4,473	I would have been surprised any Indian govt endeavor went off without a hitch. Wait a minte, they are actually simplifying something?!

May 17th, 2005, 03:59	#3
GoanCanuck Maha Guru Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Vancouver Posts: 2,965	Ahhhhhh...I was just about to send my application with the processing fee. Now the wait begins.

May 17th, 2005, 12:16	#4
Digital Drifter bang a whore? Bangalore Dammit! Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,878	We simplify it in the following way 1) instead of triplicates, duplicate copies would do 2) Please get them attested by a gazetted Class I officer or Magistrate. 3) All copies must be in original(makes sense?) 4) Instead of the last 5 places you stayed in the last 10 years, 3 places in the last 5 years should be provided as proof. 5) for 4) at least one utility bill for each place should be produced. 6) The need for upper case letters has been dropped. 7) instead of 31 sections to fill ,we got it down to 29 (we're not interested in your grandfather's name and town) In short, it's still the same application.

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