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Subject: My Dual Citizenship Woes


MY DUAL CITIZENSHIP WOES: MY RECENT EXPERIENCE WITH THE IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT AT THE KOLKATA AIRPORT AND THE LESSONS I LEARNT

My advice to all my friends who hold an OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) Card and those who aspire to get one.

I am an American citizen. I also carry an OCI card (Overseas Citizen of India) since 2007.

On Saturday, June 20, 2009 , I arrived at the Kolkata Netaji Subhas Airport from Detroit via Singapore , by Singapore Airlines (SQ 516) at 10:30 P.M.

I presented myself to an Immigration Officer ( Mr. Biswas ) for immigration clearance. I gave him my American passport and my OCI card. He demanded to see my visa from the Indian consular office. Unfortunately, that visa was attached to my old passport and I did not bring it with me.

I explained to him that I am sorry I forgot to bring my old passport but since I do possess a valid OCI Card that would automatically mean that I do also possess a permanent (life long) visa for India and there are proofs that I have traveled multiple times to India after I had received my OCI card.

Mr. Biswas detained me for two hours inside the airport and then he told me that he is going to allow me to stay in India for 72 hours and asked me to report to the Foreign Relations Regional Officer (FRRO) in the city within 72 hours. He kept my passport. During all that time I had no opportunity either to approach his OC (Officer in Charge) although I asked for it, or to contact my relatives who came to the airport to receive me and were waiting outside and had no idea why I was being held back or if I have even arrived.

Forgetting to bring my old passport was my own fault but I 'forgot' to bring it partly because I knew I have my OCI Card with me and I thought, that means something, I really believed that I am a citizen of India too. Why would a citizen also need a visa to enter his own country? I thought I have a dual citizenship for both the USA and India . Other wise, what is the difference between an ordinary foreigner and the OCI Card holder?

Next day was a Sunday, I called a friend in Ann Arbor who went into my house, got my old passport and sent me the scanned copy of my old passport and a copy of my permanent visa by e-mail.

So, on Monday I went to see Mr. Bibhas Talukdar , the FRRO. He hardly looked at the documents (the scanned visa) that I had with me he simply asked me to get my old passport by courier mail within another seven days. He appeared gleeful telling me that it is only out of "pity" that he is allowing me to stay in India for seven more days. He was totally unimpressed by either my status as a Professor Emeritus of the University of Michigan or my age (70+)

I called my friend in Ann Arbor again who then sent my old passport by FedEx. Three days later the passport arrived. Since I had to leave Kolkata for prescheduled visit to Bangalore , my niece took it to Mr. Talukdar . But due to lack of communication between the FRRO office and the airport immigration department my passport had not arrived at the city office even after 9 days. My niece had to go to the FRRO's office three times once waiting until 6 P.M. still they did not have my passport. They only promised: "it will come soon". At last, 12 days after my arrival, my niece got my passport.

From this painful and anxiety provoking experience I have learned a few valuable lessons:

1. The loud talk about "Dual Citizenship" for Indian Americans is just a political hoax.

2. The OCI card just does not have any value. It is just a piece of expensive junk. You still need a visa every time you travel to India whether or not you possess an OCI card. Only difference is that for the high price of getting an OCI card you will get a "life long " visa. A 10-year visa is much cheaper.


3. When coming to India always consider yourself a foreigner and bring your visa with you, there will be no exceptions. Your OCI card is not a visa substitute.

4. In fact, you will probably be treated worse than an ordinary foreigner arriving without a valid visa. Because a foreigner especially a white Caucasian will at least be treated with courtesy and probably offered a temporary visa if there is no reason to deny it, but not you.

Please feel free to forward this mail to any of your friends who may befit from my experience. Especially feel free to forward this to any influential politician or civil servant in India that you may know.

Sujit K. Pandit M.D.

Professor Emeritus

Department of Anesthesiology

University of Michigan

Ann Arbor , MI

48109, USA

sujitpandit@ hotmail.com

Those who have OCI card or going to have one don't get scared by this email. It is the guy's fault not carrying the OCI visa.
It is clearly written in all the consulate websites that the OCI will be issued an OCI card along with an ''OCI Visa'' pasted in the passport. If one has the new passport he can ask for a new OCI visa sticker in the new passport or he can travel with both the old & new passports. But inany case he needs to show the OCI visa along with the OCI card (It is booklet actually) in the airport.
see nos.22 & 25 in the NIC link.http://mha.nic.in/pdfs/oci-faq.pdf
If it had happened in any other country he would have been immediately sent back but since it is India he was allowed to stay for a week before he showed the needed documents. They will read line by line if it is a H1 or Green card document but will take it for granted if it comes to India. Being a professor he should know all this before he takes up OCI. OCI is not Dual citizenship and it is a Multi-purpose, multiple entry, lifelong visa for visiting India added with other benefits in India. See No.33 in the above link.
In the lessons learned he is telling that 10 year visa is better than OCI. But in thatcase also he needs to carry the passport with the visa anyway so what is the problem in taking the passport with 'OCI visa' withhim when he travels.
PS: Iam not a OCI yet. Guys with OCI can correct me if Iam wrong.

I'm fully agreeing with "sek123".

Mr.Pandit did a mistake, the officers did what they had to do. Who cares if he is a professor or illiterate.

I think this professor made a mistake himself and expected a relaxation in the law from the immigration because he is a professor and is 70+.

He says he thought he is citizen of both India and US... How can actually that be. He would himself have given up Indian nationality to take US one. And try tell that emotionally he believes he still Indian but he is actually not. Being Professor he should have knew that immigration rules have no extra space for emotions or relaxation for professors.

Yes, this is not only from this Professor rather from most of the indians it is wrongly interpreted about OCI. I, completely agree that the problem in Kolkota arose only becos of Mr.Professor misunderstanding about his OCI status. Just for Info, I have been already to India couple of times with my OCI (ofcourse along with my Passport/OCI Sticker) and never had any issue with it.

I do agree that one must carry VISA + OCI for India. VISA is first, then OCI

When I went to India in August, I gave first immigration my Passport with VISA sticker on it

He asked for then OCI Card, I provided him.. While coming back, immigration officer told me that they have separate line for OCI/PIO holders. No need to wait long (Delhi Airport).

We must follow the rules as we do here in West.

No scares, Professor's experiece was sad, but we must carry needed documents. No excuses !!


Regards
BS

@all,
i agree that Mr. professor did a mistake by not carrying all the documents i.e Visa+OCI.

BUT then can any of you explain why do we have two documents Visa and OCI book???? else our immigration guys act without thinking and reasoning!!