OCI card holders vent frustration against India’s travel restrictions

INDIAN-Americans holding OCI cards, mostly their parents, have voiced frustration over the Indian government’s recent decision to temporarily put in abeyance their long term visa amidst the coronavirus-linked global travel restrictions.

The Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) card is issued to the people of Indian-origin, allowing them a visa-free travel in most of the cases.

According to the regulations issued by the Indian government last month and updated last week, visas of foreign nationals and OCI cards, that provide visa-free travel privileges to the people of Indian-origin, have been suspended as part of the new international travel restrictions following the Covid-19 pandemic.

In many cases, in particular, the minors having OCI cards is creating a difficult situation for their parents who are still Indian citizens.

‘Please allow Infants (with OCI cards) to travel with their parents (INDIANS) to India from the USA. Indian parents’ visas in the USA are going to expire, but due to the kid’s USA citizenship with OCI card we are not able to utilise flights scheduled by the government of India. Kindly allow minors to travel,” one Fazale Sattar wrote on Twitter.

Anitha Vankayala said that her daughter with an OCI card is waiting to come back home. ‘We never thought this kind of discrimination from government because of our OCI status. Please help us to get back our daughter,” she said.

‘Modiji, this is definitely not what we looked at when we came back to your call of Reversal of brain drain.. We loved your spirits and came back 9yrs ago.. Please treat OCI’s with aadhar card same as Indians,” T R Sreelakshmi tweeted.

‘Many OCI holders, all over the world are having a tough time. Forced to close their restaurants & other business. Economic loss is huge,” wrote Constant Gardner.

‘Please help our kids who are OCI card holders and stranded as students in the UK, US,” tweeted Madhavi Srihari.