Government Tightens Rules, Links OCI Card Status to Criminal Convictions
The Ministry of Home Affairs has notified new rules that make Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders liable for cancellation of their status if they are sentenced to jail for two years or more. The registration can also be cancelled if a person is charge-sheeted for an offense punishable with imprisonment of seven years or more. This policy change significantly tightens the criteria for holding the multi-entry, lifelong visa, linking it directly to criminal proceedings and convictions faced by Indian-origin foreign nationals.
Unpacked:
Previously, OCI card cancellation was limited to cases within five years of registration where the cardholder was sentenced to at least two years in jail. The new rules remove this five-year limit and add cancellation for being charge-sheeted for offenses punishable by seven years or more.
OCI cards are available to persons of Indian origin who were citizens of India on or after January 26, 1950, or were eligible on that date. However, individuals who are or have been citizens of Pakistan, Bangladesh, or other countries specified by the Indian government are excluded.
The changes aim to enhance oversight and prevent misuse of OCI status, especially in cases involving serious crimes such as forced NRI marriages, physical abuse, and dowry harassment by persons of Indian origin residing abroad.
If OCI registration is cancelled, the individual loses the right to visa-free, multiple-entry, lifelong access to India, as well as other benefits such as exemption from registration with local police and parity with NRIs in certain economic and educational fields.