Law Office of Roli Khare Rastogi LLC

03/11/2021

Aw shucks Modi ji I thought hum sab bhai bhai hain!

Privileges Under India's OCI Scheme Curtailed

The Indian Government drastically curtails the privileges granted to Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) cardholders in India. This has come in the wake of several instances where OCI cardholders have approached the courts to exercise their privileges, especially with regard to admission into institutes of higher education, research and journalistic activities etc. A summary of the changes is provided below.

1. OCI cardholders still do not need a visa to visit, live or work in India. But they must now obtain a special permit to undertake:

* Research related activities;
* Missionary, Journalistic, Tabligh or Mountaineering activities;
* An internship in any foreign Diplomatic Missions or foreign Government organisations in India or to take up employment in any foreign Diplomatic Missions in India; or
* To visit any area in India that is notified as protected, restricted or prohibited.

1. OCI cardholders continue to remain exempt from registration with the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO) or Foreigners Registration Officer (FRO) for any length of stay in India. However, they must now inform the FRRO or FRO of relevant jurisdiction via email when there is a change of residential address or occupation.
2. OCI cardholders will be considered as Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) for All India entrance examinations or tests for admission into institutes of higher education. They may also be considered for any supernumerary seat but will not be eligible for seats reserved exclusively for Indian citizens.
3. OCI cardholders will be treated on par with ā€ foreign nationalsā€¯ with respect to all other economic, financial and educational fields not specified in this new notification or in other notifications issued by the Reserve Bank of India under the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999. Earlier OCI cardholders were treated on par with NRIs rather than foreign nationals for the purposes of economic, financial and educational rights.
4. OCI cardholders continue to remain on par with Indian nationals with regard to tariffs in airfares in domestic sectors, entry fees to visit national parks, national monuments and museums in India.
5. OCI cardholders continue to remain on par with NRIs for the following:

* Inter-country adoption of Indian children subject to the compliance of the procedures as laid down by the competent authority;
* Purchase of sale of immovable properties other than agricultural land or a farmhouse or plantation property; and
* Pursuing professions such as doctors, dentists, nurses and pharmacists; advocates; chartered accountants and architects in India as per applicable statutes.

The following restrictions remain unchanged by this notification. The OCI program is not for individuals who are from Pakistan or Bangladesh. OCI cardholders are not permitted to vote nor are they eligible to run for public office nor hold government jobs.

02/02/2021

Biden to sign immigration executive orders and establish task force to reunite separated families. Moving forward.

President Joe Biden will sign three executive orders Tuesday that take aim at his predecessor's hardline immigration policies and try to rectify the consequences of those policies, including by establishing a task force designed to reunite families separated at the US-Mexico border, according to sen...

01/28/2021

New President. New Dawn. New Day...And I'm feeling good.

12/06/2020

Why are farmers protesting in India? And what is really at stake? Digging deeper.

WHO LARGELY BENEFITS FROM FCI’S SAFETY NET?"The safety net ironically covers relatively well-off farmers from the northern states of Punjab and Haryana, forcing their poorer counterparts from Bihar and other underdeveloped states to sell at a discount.Every year, farmers from Punjab and Haryana sell almost their entire produce to the FCI at MSPs thanks to well-developed market yards and efficient procurement centres, a far cry from Bihar’s underdeveloped grain procurement infrastructure.Also, unlike poor farmers from Bihar, the rich and politically influential farming community of Punjab and Haryana ensures that the FCI continues to buy large volumes of rice and wheat from their states, where agriculture is a mainstay."

https://lnkd.in/eZFFK8d

Thousands of Indian farmers angered by farm laws that they say threaten their livelihoods have intensified their protests by blocking highways and camping out on the outskirts of the capital Delhi.

11/02/2020

To my desi posse- please call/WhatsApp an aunty/uncle to submit their mail-in ballot tomorrow. One call/text goes a long way. More info on state voting here: https://howto.vote/vote/en/nj.html. Step up, stand up, speak up..or sh..t up.

10/30/2020

“He hasn’t shown any interest in doing the work or helping anybody but himself and his friends, or treating the presidency like a reality show that he can use to get attention,” Obama said. “This is not a reality show – this is reality. The rest of us have had to live with the consequences of him proving himself incapable of taking the job seriously.”

To all my desi aunties and uncles, moms, pops, chachas chachis, mamas masis-- I SEE YOU -- please do not take this election lightly. Trump does not care two hoots about India, Modi or Kashmir. He will use your vote as a pawn to create more instability in society-- your life/death/health is at stake as he can't effectively lead during Covid, he instigates more racism against your children and grandchildren. You left your homeland behind, you've planted values of human dignity in American soil. Do not leave a legacy of hate and bloodshed for your grandchildren to inherit.

10/21/2020

Trump's restrictive guest worker rules challenged by big business, immigration lawyers"
When does the Administration Madness stop? Nov. 3.

Immigration lawyers and some of the country’s largest business lobbies went to court Monday to challenge new Trump administration rules designed to force employers to pay Americans higher wages before they can offer jobs to foreign guest-workers under a key visa program.

10/15/2020

Make your voice count. Today is the last day to fill it out. www.2020census.gov.

10/14/2020

'Trump Administration Turns To Immigration As Vote Nears'
https://in.news.yahoo.com/trump-administration-turns-immigration-vote-040925456.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=YW5kcm9pZC1hcHA6Ly9jb20uZ29vZ2xlLmFuZHJvaWQuZ20v&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAAOFR-CYHSVI1afrHr7dr7givKCRXfIWYluRESD1sIMMajF3i2C_X4i-uO84ob6YJb0vwwpcJshSI58VAQOa3ZXA-lMG_KfrC_Jg3KNEMYd_frZsQxd_ruocQ9lC8_5B26MSRPLgIZMkuU6Guge_y6ouuuwnx10Zm2mqRPNcij1i

It had the ingredients of a President Donald Trump campaign speech: dangerous immigrants, attacks on Democratrun cities, even a mention of America First.

10/13/2020

'Tech Employment Data Contradict Need For Quick H-1B Visa Rules'
https://www.forbes.com/sites/stuartanderson/2020/10/13/tech-employment-data-contradict-need-for-quick-h-1b-visa-rules/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

The low unemployment rate in computer occupations contradicts Trump administration claims an emergency requires new H-1B visa rules.

10/08/2020

Excited in this roller coaster of a year, to serve as a Commissioner on the Immigrant Affairs Commission for the City of Jersey City. Hamel Vyas keep pushing against the flow.