OCI

http://moia.gov.in/services.aspx?id1=35&id=m3&idp=35&mainid=23

The Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) Scheme wasintroduced by amending the Citizenship Act, 1955 inAugust 2005. The Scheme was launched during thePravasi Bharatiya Divas convention 2006 at Hyderabad.The Scheme provides for registration as OverseasCitizen of India (OCI) of all Persons of Indian Origin(PIOs) who were citizens of India on 26th January, 1950or there after or were eligible to become citizens ofIndia on 26th January, 1950 except who is or had beena citizen of Pakistan, Bangladesh or such other countryas the Central Government may, by notification in theOfficial Gazette, specify.

• OCI is not to be misconstrued as 'dual citizenship'. OCIdoes not confer political rights. The registeredOverseas Citizens of India shall not be entitled to therights conferred on a citizen of India under article 16 ofthe Constitution with regard to equality of opportunityin matters of public employment. Detailed instructionsand procedures on the OCI Scheme are available on theMHA's website: www.mha.nic.in .

• The OCI documents consist of OCI Registration Bookletand a Universal visa sticker. It is mandatory forregistered OCIs to carry their passports which carry theUniversal visa sticker for entry into / exit from India.

• A registered Overseas Citizen of India is grantedmultiple entry, multi purpose, life-long visa forvisiting India, he/she is exempted fromregistration with Foreign Regional RegistrationOfficer or Foreign Registration Officer for anylength of stay in India, and is entitled to general'parity with Non-Resident Indians in respect of allfacilities available to them in economic, financialand educational fields except in matters relatingto the acquisition of agricultural or plantationproperties'. Specific benefits/parity is notified bythe Ministry from time to time.

• The Ministry has issued notifications granting registered OCIs further benefits as under:

• Parity with Non-Resident Indians in the matter of inter-country adoption of Indian children ;

• Parity with resident Indian nationals in matters of tariffs in domestic air fares ;• Parity with domestic Indian visitors in respect of entry fee for visiting national

parks and wildlife sanctuaries in India ;• Parity with non-resident Indians in respect of:

– Entry fees for visiting the national monuments, historical sites and museums in India;– Practicing the following professions in India, in pursuance of the provisions contained in the

relevant Acts, namely:• Doctors, dentists, nurses and pharmacists;• Advocates;• Architects; and• Chartered Accountants; and

• Entitlement to appear for the All India Pre-Medical Test or such other tests to make them eligible for admission in pursuance of the provisions contained in the relevant Acts.

• An on-line OCI miscellaneous service is now available for re-issuance /issuance of duplicate OCI documents, in case of issuance of new passport, change of personal particulars, viz, nationality, name, change of address/occupation, etc. and loss/damage of OCI registration certificate/visa.

• As on 31st May, 2013 13.25 lakh OCI registration booklets and visa stickers have been issued.

Person of Indian Origin

Persons of Indian Origin Card (PIO Card)is a form of identification issued toa Person of Indian Origin who holds apassport in another Country otherthan Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka.

• Conditions• The conditions for issuing a PIO card to a person are:• Any person who has ever held an Indian passport, or• The person's parents, grandparents or great grandparents were

born in and were permanent residents of India and never moved to (i.e., were never nationals of) Bangladesh and Pakistan, or

• The person is the spouse of a citizen of India or of a PIO and has been so for two years or more, or

• The person and his/her parents, grandparents or great grandparents must not have been a national of Bangladesh or Pakistan at any point of time.

• The PIO Card Program came into effect on 15 September 2002.

Uses• The various benefits available to a PIO cardholders are:• No visa required for visiting India during the period of validity of PIO Card.• Exemption from the requirement of registration if stay in India does not exceed 6

months. Should the continuous stay exceed six months, registration is not required even if their visit exceeds 180 days.

• Parity with non-resident Indians in respect of facilities available to the latter in economic, financial and educational fields.

• All facilities in the matter of acquisition, holding, transfer and disposal of immovable properties in India except in matters relating to the acquisition of agricultural/plantation properties.

• Facilities available to children of Non Resident Indians for getting admission to educational institutions in India including medical colleges, engineering colleges, Institutes of Technology, Institutes of Management etc. under the general categories.

• Facilities available under the various housing schemes of LIC, State Governments and other Government agencies.

• Persons with a PIO are not• allowed to vote• eligible for an Inner Line Permit. They have to apply for a Protected area permit.

Registration/Residential Permit

• PIO card holders need to register with the appropriate FRRO (Foreigner Regional Registration Office) if they are planning to stay in India for more than 180 days. This requirement is not applicable for minors. The FRRO will issue a "Residential Permit For PIO" which is typically valid till the expiry of the PIO card holder's passport. On 28 September 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced at Madison Square Garden (New York) that very soon PIO card holders will get lifelong visas.

http://www.path2usa.com/difference-between-oci-and-pio

Green Card

• United States lawful permanent residency is the immigration status of a person authorized to live and work in the United States of America permanently.

• A United States Permanent Resident Card (USCIS Form I-551), formerly Alien Registration Card or Alien Registration Receipt Card (INS Form I-151), is an identification card attesting to the permanent resident status of an alien in the United States. It is known informally as a green card because it was green from 1946 until 1964, and it reverted to that color on May 11, 2010. Green card also refers to an immigration process of becoming a permanent resident. The green card serves as proof that its holder, a lawful permanent resident (LPR), has been officially granted immigration benefits, which include permission to reside and take employment in the United States. The holder must maintain permanent resident status, and can be removed from the United States if certain conditions of this status are not met.

• Green cards were formerly issued by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). The Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Pub. L. No. 107–296, 116 Stat. 2135) dismantled INS and separated the former agency into three components within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The first, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) handles applications for immigration benefits. Two other agencies were created to oversee the INS' former functions of immigration enforcement: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), respectively.[3]

• Permanent residents of the United States eighteen years of age or older must carry their actual green card at all times. Failing to do so is a violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act, carrying the possibility of a fine up to $100 and/or imprisonment for up to 30 days for each offense.[4] Only the federal government can impose these penalties.[5]

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