Overseas Citizenship Of India : Expansion
India has been contemplating extending the Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) Card privileges to overseas Indians in Fiji and other nations after relaxing the rules for Suriname.
- In 2023, India announced an extension of the eligibility criteria for OCI card of the original Indian immigrants in Suriname, from the fourth generation to the sixth generation.
- Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) Card : The concept of OCI was introduced in response to demands for dual citizenship by the Indian diaspora, particularly in developed countries.
- The Ministry of Home Affairs defines an OCI as a person who:
- Was a citizen of India on or after 26th January 1950; or
- Was eligible to become a citizen of India on 26th January 1950; or
- Is a child or grandchild of such a person, among other eligibility criteria.
- According to Section 7A of the OCI card rules, an applicant is not eligible for the OCI card if he, his parents, or grandparents have ever been a citizen of Pakistan or Bangladesh.
- The category was introduced by the government in 2005.
- The Government of India via the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2015 merged the Person of Indian Origin (PIO) category with the OCI category in 2015.
