Hi ,
I am adjusting thru my wife in USA .I camer in B1/B2 visa.I am from India. I was born in & have been india for 31 yrs now.Now as i saw at the following sources :
http://www.indianembassy.org/New_Template/oci.asp
http://www.indianembassy.org/policy/PIO/In...uction_PIO.html
http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...ual+citizenship

I wanted some answers to some queries I have :

a) So Once I have my green card I have cancel my Indian Passport ?? Till then i have to renew my passport ?
So wd the PIO card (People of Indian Origin Card) be given to all like me ?
c) With the PIO card I can stay for only for 180 days ?? what to do beyond that ?
d) In future we have already planned to go back to india............ what to do go back to india and starting living there again.
e) This may be a silly question but just need to know : In general first a two yr conditional green card is given, then after 2 yrs we have to apply for a unconditional 10 yr green card . So when do i become a permanent resident and Citizen ???

All answers are appreciated.pls help need to know these .

Thanks
CR

Once you get the greencard you DO NOT cancel your Indian passport. You will need it to travel internationally.

Once you get the greencard (2 year or 10 year) you are considered a permanent resident. If you get the 2 year greencard you will need to lift conditions on it to get the 10 year greencard.

If you choose to, you can become a US citizen (after 3 years of marriage to a USC, don't quote me on that, I may be wrong). Look up and see if India allows dual citizenship and what you would need to do to return there in the future if you decide to.

India doesn't allow dual citizenship, but PIO and OCI(overseas Indian citizenship) are replacement for dual citizenship.

With OCI you can travel in and out of India anytime you wish for and you can also work here, other than government jobs or things like you can't run for any political position, but you can buy land and other sorts of things.

But basically its you who needs to decide do you want to give up your Indian citizenship or not, you only hand over your Indian passport after you have been granted citizenship of any other country, in your case it would be of USA.

Check this site for further knowledge--> http://www.immihelp.com/nri/dual.html

Thanks so much for the reply..I was wondering ..
a)That means its upto me whether I diposit my Indian Passport or not !! And then I can keep on renewing my passport here in USA ??

Also wd there be any restriction with OCI that I can live for so many year in India ??

c)and so with OCI i wdnt need any visa to go to India , Just to carry my my OCI card with my Indian passport ...right ??

d) In this link http://www.immihelp.com/nri/overseascitizenshipindia/ its said " You do not get a Indian Passport " ...what does that mean...i thought I will keep on renewing my passport here in usa !!

Pls extend your help ...Thanks !!

On point C, partly wrong.

You cannot get OCI while on Indian passport, only after naturalisation in another (of a selected list; US and Canada are on it) country. When you naturalise in another country, you must surrender your Indian passport to the Embassy. Basically, you can renew your Indian passport so long as you do not naturalise to any country other than India.

True however, that with OCI you can visit India at will.

Thanks ................ So
i) Its mandetory to surrender Indian passport after Naturalisation ??
ii ) And what do you mean by naturalisation ?? I am actually new to these terms .

iii ) So basically after naturalisation I have to surrender my Indian Passport and apply for OCI.Then after I get OCI during travel I just need to carry my OCI card and american passport .Right ?

iv) Before naturalisation I just need to carry my green card and Indian passport to visit India .....and i need no Indian Visa ??

Thanks for th helping !!

Naturalisation generally means taking citizenship of another country

Correct on having to surrender Indian passport; the OCI app is optional (but a good idea, as it is a one-time--one OCI app is cheaper than two PIO apps or three 10-year visas)

correct

ur welcom

Great !! some other things i needed to know..may be layman`s question but I am not really aware of these :
a)1st we are given 2 yr conditional green card.Then 10 yr unconditional green card. Then when we have to apply for naturalisation ?? How long does it take and is it optional or mandetory ??
Before naturalisation are we called Permanent resident and then after naturalisation as citizen ??
c) So you mean with a OCI we can move freely to India at any time and come back to USA.Is it given to everyone or is it like may or may not be ?

Thanks !!

Applying for naturalisation is not mandatory; you can remain GC for long stretches (also true of Canada PR, though this is tangential subject).

Length of time taken depends on several factors including which state you reside in (which decides the Service Centre and Local Office to which the forms are sent--and where you have to go for "milestones")

correct
There are some restrictions on who can get OCI; generally available for:

• India-born, naturalised to Canada or US
• US-born children of India-origin parents (but not those whose parents are both citizens of India)

The cost of filing for OCI is $275.00.

Thanks so so much !! I will Im u if necessary.And any idea where to renew my passport here in USA and how much its costs ?? I am at Ohio.

christera22, check this link for renewing Indian passports in USA:

http://www.path2usa.com/immigration/relate...ort_renewal.htm

I have read a little but not extensively on the subject and want to thank you for your questions and CherryXS and others for the good answers.

It is my understanding that after removing conditions and getting the 10-year green card, one can continue to renew the green card every ten years, indefinitely. However, trips to India should not be too long (not over 6 months or 12 months?) without requesting a re-entry permit. One friend I had stayed on in India for years and lost his green card. His US Citizen wife had to again petition him for another green card.

Instead, after 3 years married to a US Citizen, one can obtain US citizenship (giving up the Indian passport and Indian citizenship) and get a OCI card. With that card, you can go to India for as many years as you want, no Indian visa required, and you can return to USA whenever you want. The US Citizen spouse, if not eligible for OCI card, can get the PIO card, and have the same benefits of going to India without visa and staying for as long as one wishes.

We also have been researching returning to India long term (after a few years) and obtaining US citizenship seems the easiest solution for my hubby.

Clarification on one point:

One becomes eligible to apply for naturalization (through marriage to a US citizen) 3 years after AOS (2 year greencard) is granted.

Spelled out here: http://www.uscis.gov/files/article/B3.pdf

Best wishes!
Maya