Immigration to India

[ms_jinga_lala 0]

I've given all your answers to my previous posts much thought. I can't stand going through another year of the kind of hell I've been through this year alone and things only keep getting worse. So I have decided to pack up and go to India. But I'm not sure how long I'm going for. I don't want to get married the same week I get there. I want to relax a little, spend time with my fiance and then get married. This will make the 6 month tourist visa validity a tight squeeze to work into. So I'm thinking about moving there for at least a year, possibly a lot longer. I've searched online and at official Indian websites but I'm still confused about some things. First off....how the hell do you immigrate to India. There doesn't seem to be any visa paperwork for that so right now I'm considering an employment visa though I know that's a stretch. Is there any kind of marriage visa or immigration process for people who want to become citizens of India?

Also, I need to know more about this going over and getting married thing without having to be there 31 days first. Just in case I do have to get married quickly because I'm not sure I can work my plane ticket and other factors in my life around getting there well in advance of whatever date the astrologer sets for us. I know his parents can arrange everything but what do I need to do/have/take. What's my part in this besides showing up and participating so that I can get the legal certificate to be able to bring my husband back if I come back. Any pointers, tips, advice from people who have been there and done that is appreciated. Thank you in advance.

[bobby_kvisa 7]

jinga linga, are you an NRI? Meaning are you of Indian Origin (one or both of your parents is Indian) ? If so you might be eligible to apply for and receive a PIO Card. This card gives you the ability to buy land and do business and get a job in India.

In order to work in India you will need to be able to create a PAN (Permanent Account Number) Card. You cannot open a bank account in general or get a job at a firm without this. This is similar to a Social Security Number.

In order to live in India and do day-to-day things you need 3 types of main proofs: ID Proof (something with your name and photo), Signature Proof (something with your signature) and Address proof (something with your current Local Indian address).

The types of documents that can help you do this are Indian Driver's License, Ration Card, PAN Card, Bank Account Statement, and other things.

I don't know about immigrating to India per se - but another option you have outside of this forum is two:

Go to www.immigration.com and go to the forums. Post your question in the next biweekly webinar and it is

possible Mr. Khanna (immigration lawyer) can provide some nugget of info for free

Call or go to the Indian Embassy in your city. You can even email them and ask. You will be required to

tell them your name, city, your (passport) nationality and then tell them your situation and they may

have some information on this as well.

You can read this Wiki page as well on how to gain Indian Citizenship. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_nationality_law

Even though you are not looking to gain Citizenship to India, it is probably a good idea to have knowledge of that in your situation !

Good luck to you in your journey !

[Amit-N-Melody 11]

I've given all your answers to my previous posts much thought. I can't stand going through another year of the kind of hell I've been through this year alone and things only keep getting worse. So I have decided to pack up and go to India. But I'm not sure how long I'm going for. I don't want to get married the same week I get there. I want to relax a little, spend time with my fiance and then get married. This will make the 6 month tourist visa validity a tight squeeze to work into. So I'm thinking about moving there for at least a year, possibly a lot longer. I've searched online and at official Indian websites but I'm still confused about some things. First off....how the hell do you immigrate to India. There doesn't seem to be any visa paperwork for that so right now I'm considering an employment visa though I know that's a stretch. Is there any kind of marriage visa or immigration process for people who want to become citizens of India?

Also, I need to know more about this going over and getting married thing without having to be there 31 days first. Just in case I do have to get married quickly because I'm not sure I can work my plane ticket and other factors in my life around getting there well in advance of whatever date the astrologer sets for us. I know his parents can arrange everything but what do I need to do/have/take. What's my part in this besides showing up and participating so that I can get the legal certificate to be able to bring my husband back if I come back. Any pointers, tips, advice from people who have been there and done that is appreciated. Thank you in advance.

hey dear, I seriously doubt that you were talking to me... but thought I would try to help you out... There is a site called Married to India.... http://www.marriedtoindia.com/

join this site... tell them I sent you... also you can come on my facebook and find all the ppl... I know atleast 5 couples that have moved to India some stay 365 days a year others travel back and forth... I think actually talking with some of these Women would help you out... I can tell you what I would do.. but since I have not and am not going through it I just thought it might help you to talk to someone who actually has...

as far as information about getting married.. I can only tell you what I did and what was best for me.. I converted my religion when I went to India so that now I am a hindu <I even changed my name to Ishita>... after that we had a religious ceremony <the priest was from Arya Samaj you can find info about it here ---> http://weddings.iloveindia.com/indian-weddings/arya-samaj-wedding.html > ... I took with me to India:

*Divorce Papers

*Driver's License

*SSC

*Birth Certificate

*Passport <of course>

*A certified letter from my parents stating they had no objections of me marring my Hubby <sounds stupid but it was actually that only thing that was requested before they would register the marriage>

I actually have a whole slew of info.. if you really want to know you can PM me and I will send it to you

wishing you the best

[catknit 144]

The easiest way to live in India is to arrive with the tourist visa and marry - as long as it's in the 6 month window you should be fine. You can then convert your visa to an X visa [it used to be you need to do this in Delhi at MHA - there were no other offices that can do it - do the research - used to be any agents who claim you can do it elsewhere or by paying off local officials for a resident permit were NOT agents to deal with - Also, some people have gotten lost in a maze of red tape and have tried to get the X visa at other Indian consulates in South Asia - some succeed, some don't]. That will you give the legal right to reside in India provided you register with the local immigration office.

This visa [the X visa] will only allow you to live there - no work, no school, no bank account, no land.

To be able to get a PIO card as a non-Indian spouse of an Indian national, you can only apply after your 1st year anniversary. A PIO card is, for lack of a better term, the Indian equivalent to a green card. The 1 year rule is pretty hard and fast from what I've heard/read.

A work visa may be a viable option if you have an employer willing to sponsor you - last year around this time the Indian consulate in DC had a bug up their back side about "handsomely paid" positions - they would only give a work visa to those with positions paying more than $80,000 USD/year or some such number. Even with the Indian economy growing like wildfire, those types of positions most people can't just walk into. A possible other option may be a student visa. However, a LOT of schools in India seem to like traditionally aged students from what I've seen. So going for a BS in biology at say 45 may be seen as a little weird and may not happen.

Visa issues and the like are getting tighter and tougher in India all the time. You used to be able to visit for up to 180 days, border hop, and return the next day. Now, if you stay on a tourist visa more than 90 days, you must leave India for 60 days before you can re-enter. I guess that means you could border hop at day 89? Not too sure I would want to try that too many times though. If your fiance is having issues with his visa to get here I'd recommend not trying anything too fancy with India's rules - you do not want to be barred from there if that's the only place you two can live currently.

Also, you may be asked to go to your local US embassy there to get a sworn statement that you can legally marry. Chances are you can do that ahead of time through a local/county/state official here stateside - use that at the US embassy to get the embassy statement.

[ms_jinga_lala 0]

Thank you all for the great information! I looked up a couple of things with the info you guys provided and it looks like it's gonna take about 3 months from the time the process starts to get approval for the visa. So I'm going to get started ASAP. I had my fiance ask some questions over there as well and he found out there will be some kind of police inquiry at his home during this process. So there is no guarantee.

Do you guys think I should get a tourist visa before applying for the immigration visa? I don't want things to wind up like they did here and us not have either.

Thanks! Going to do more research now.

[trinket 30]

Thank you all for the great information! I looked up a couple of things with the info you guys provided and it looks like it's gonna take about 3 months from the time the process starts to get approval for the visa. So I'm going to get started ASAP. I had my fiance ask some questions over there as well and he found out there will be some kind of police inquiry at his home during this process. So there is no guarantee.

Do you guys think I should get a tourist visa before applying for the immigration visa? I don't want things to wind up like they did here and us not have either.

Thanks! Going to do more research now.

Because you aren't married to him yet your only choice is to apply for tourist visa, but once you do get married to him change your tourist visa to Entry visa (that's what I believe the name is). Do remember that you won't be able to apply for DCF at New Delhi's American Embassy if you show your 90 days residency in India as a tourist, you have to show some other kind of visa other than so do make the transition of visa from your side before you apply for DCF.

Best wishes

[ELW 5]

When I was staying in India, it was VERY hard to change a visa, in fact, the tourist visa stamp in the passport had big letters CHANGE OF PURPOSE NOT ALLOWED. However, if you can change to an Entry visa after your marriage, you could try for Direct Consular Filing. Whoohoo! Otherwise, a 6-month tourist visa will be enough to get married, return here, and file for CR1 visa. Good luck!