New OCI Portal & OCI Scheme

Prelims: Indian Polity and Governance | Public Policy & Rights Issues | Current events of national and international importance

Why in news?

Recently, India has launched the new OCI Portal with an updated user interface to simplify the registration process for overseas citizens.

• Existing OCI Services portal – It was developed in 2013.
• It is currently operational in over 180 Indian missions as well as 12 Foreigners Regional Registration Offices (FRROs), processing approximately 2,000 applications per day.
• New OCI portal – https://ociservices.gov.in/
• It aims to address existing limitations and enhance user experience.
• It will provide enhanced functionality, advanced security, and a user-friendly experience.
• It covers more than 5 million OCI cardholders and new users.
• It can ensure that Indian-origin residents face no inconvenience when visiting or staying in India.

OCI scheme

• It was introduced through an amendment to the Citizenship Act, 1955, in 2005.

• Aim – To provide for the registration of Persons of Indian Origin as Overseas Citizens of India.
• Eligibility for a foreign national
  • Who was a citizen of India at the time of, or at any time after 26^th January, 1950; or
  • Who was eligible to become a citizen of India on 26th January, 1950; or
  • Who belonged to a territory that became part of India after 15th August, 1947; or
  • Who is a child or a grandchild or a great grandchild of such a citizen; or
  • Who is a minor child of such persons mentioned above; or
  • Who is a minor child and whose both parents are citizens of India or one of the parents is a citizen of India
• Eligibility for spouse - Spouse of foreign origin of a citizen of India or spouse of foreign origin of an OCI Cardholder and whose marriage has been registered and subsisted for a continuous period of not less than 2 years immediately preceding the presentation of the application.
• Non-eligible – Individuals who are or had been citizens of Pakistan or Bangladesh, or whose parent or grandparent or great grandparent are or had been citizens of those 2 countries.
• Foreign nationals cannot apply for OCI in India while on Tourist Visa, Missionary Visa and Mountaineering Visa.

Moreover, the foreigner has to be ordinarily resident of India to be eligible to apply for OCI registration in India. ‘Ordinarily resident’ will mean a person staying in a particular country or in India for a continuous period of 6 months.

References

1. The Hindu| Lauch of New OCI Portal
2. OCIServices| Overseas Citizens of India