One more Ordinance, the Citizenship (Amendment) Ordinance, 2015, was promulgated on Wednesday by President Pranab Mukherjee, with immediate effect, paving the way for easier citizenship norms for People of Indian Origin (PIOs) as well as life-long visas.

The ordinance, coming on the day the Pravasi Bharatiya Summit opened in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, provides for amendments to the Indian Citizen Act, 1955, and also seeks to merge the PIO scheme with the Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) scheme, by which PIOs can also get life-long Indian visas.

“In respect of existing PIO card holders, the Centre may, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify a particular date from which all existing PIO card holders will be deemed to be OCI card holders” said an official release.

During his speech in Madison Square Gardens in the US in September 2013, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised the non-resident Indian community that his government would ease travel and visa norms, including life-time visas for PIOs. He had also announced that a visa-on-arrival scheme for American tourists was in the pipeline.

The ordinance also enables registration as OCI by a minor, whose parents are Indian citizens.

With regard to citizenship, the release said “at present, one year continuous stay in India is mandatory for Indian citizenship, which is relaxed stating that if the Central Government is satisfied that special circumstances exist, it may, after recording such circumstances in writing, relax the period of 12 months specified up to a maximum of thirty days which may be in different breaks.”

The Indian Citizenship Act, 1955 provides for acquisition, termination, deprivation, determination of Indian citizenship and other related aspects and provides for acquisition of Indian citizenship by birth, descent, registration, naturalisation and incorporation of territory under certain circumstances, and also for the termination and deprivation of citizenship.

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