PIO Card

[JBean 0]

I am wondering what the benefit is to the spouse of an Indian citizen in getting a Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) card rather than a 10 year tourist visa. It is more than twice as expensive and is only valid for 50% longer. As far as I can tell, there should not be much difference between the two in terms of ease of travel, but the PIO option presumably exists for a reason. Does anyone have any insights on this?

Thanks,

Jillian

[payxibka 10,045]

not an adjustment of status issue... moving to regional forum

[Karri 0]

This is what I learned from my other buddies on VJ.

A 10 year visitor visa limits what you can/cannot do in India. For example you can only stay in the country for 6 months at a time at which point you'd have to leave and come back. You cannot get a job with a visitor visa. If you are a spouse of a Indian citizen and they have an OCI card, you can go for a PIO card. This would allow you to travel to and from India without a visa and stay for however long you wish. The fee for the card, which will have a validity of 15 years (updated), would be US $ 365.00 for adult and US $ 185.00 for children below the age of 18 years. It also allows you to get a job in India I believe and is kinda like an Indian version of green card. A PIO card is the way to go if you ask me.

Here's some more info on that:

http://www.indianembassy.org/policy/pio/in...uction_pio.html

http://www.indianembassy.org/consular/pio.pdf

ELW, feel free to jump in here

[queuedup 1]

That is definitely useful information, will have to look into it as soon as I get my wife to the US.

Thanks Karri!!

[ELW 5]

Great job of explaining, Karri!

I like how you said it is sort of the Indian version of a green card. SO convenient and no time restrictions on how long we can stay, plus option of working in India - both as you said, impossible with a tourist visa. It is better in case of plans for longer stays in India, which we hope to do in the future. I plan to apply for the PIO card after hubby gets his 10-year green card. One BIG expense at a time!

[trinket 30]

I am more interested in OCI than PIO. Can my husband apply for OCI?

[catknit 144]

My limited understanding with the OCI is that at some point your husband would have had to been an Indian passport holder???

This is the verbage from the Ministry of Home Affairs - A foreign national, who was eligible to become citizen of India on 26.01.1950 or was a citizen of India on or at anytime after 26.01.1950 or belonged to a territory that became part of India after 15.08.1947 and his/her children and grand children, provided his/her country of citizenship allows dual citizenship in some form or other under the local laws, is eligible for registration as Overseas Citizen of India (OCI). Minor children of such person are also eligible for OCI. However, if the applicant had ever been a citizen of Pakistan or Bangladesh, he/she will not be eligible for OCI.

To me that reads that they had to have been an Indian citizen [or eligible for Indian citizenship via birth/family lineage] prior to requesting the OCI - not a citizen of elsewhere looking for status.

It's been my understanding that for a non-Indian-origin spouse [someone who can't claim thru their own parents/grandparents a link back to India] the only option is the PIO.

Plus, my SO knows I'm only using him for the PIO card anyway .

[trinket 30]

My limited understanding with the OCI is that at some point your husband would have had to been an Indian passport holder???

This is the verbage from the Ministry of Home Affairs - A foreign national, who was eligible to become citizen of India on 26.01.1950 or was a citizen of India on or at anytime after 26.01.1950 or belonged to a territory that became part of India after 15.08.1947 and his/her children and grand children, provided his/her country of citizenship allows dual citizenship in some form or other under the local laws, is eligible for registration as Overseas Citizen of India (OCI). Minor children of such person are also eligible for OCI. However, if the applicant had ever been a citizen of Pakistan or Bangladesh, he/she will not be eligible for OCI.

To me that reads that they had to have been an Indian citizen [or eligible for Indian citizenship via birth/family lineage] prior to requesting the OCI - not a citizen of elsewhere looking for status.

It's been my understanding that for a non-Indian-origin spouse [someone who can't claim thru their own parents/grandparents a link back to India] the only option is the PIO.

Plus, my SO knows I'm only using him for the PIO card anyway .

Yes that is my understanding also. So I guess my husband will only be eligible for PIO.

But whenever we do have kids, I think they might be eligible for OCI and it would be wonderful.

[ELW 5]

Yes the foreign born spouse is only eligible for the PIO card, not OCI. The Indian national can get the OCI card after obtaining US Citizenship. I think yes, the children of Indian origin parent can get the OCI card.

[Twisted K 2]

My limited understanding with the OCI is that at some point your husband would have had to been an Indian passport holder???

This is the verbage from the Ministry of Home Affairs - A foreign national, who was eligible to become citizen of India on 26.01.1950 or was a citizen of India on or at anytime after 26.01.1950 or belonged to a territory that became part of India after 15.08.1947 and his/her children and grand children, provided his/her country of citizenship allows dual citizenship in some form or other under the local laws, is eligible for registration as Overseas Citizen of India (OCI). Minor children of such person are also eligible for OCI. However, if the applicant had ever been a citizen of Pakistan or Bangladesh, he/she will not be eligible for OCI.

To me that reads that they had to have been an Indian citizen [or eligible for Indian citizenship via birth/family lineage] prior to requesting the OCI - not a citizen of elsewhere looking for status.

It's been my understanding that for a non-Indian-origin spouse [someone who can't claim thru their own parents/grandparents a link back to India] the only option is the PIO.

Plus, my SO knows I'm only using him for the PIO card anyway .

Same here, Milo, same here