Amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, the one thing that the Modi government has been lauded for is their repatriation progress. They have rescued thousands of stranded Indians from across the world who have shown interest in coming back to India amidst the pandemic.
The rescue program, “Vande Bharat Mission” has been organised, timely and very efficient with its results. Several flights have been added back in priority for the individuals who wish to travel back to India on a priority basis.
With that a success, the Indian government has today issues orders to gradually resume the travel services for most of the Overseas Citizens of India as per the long demand posed by these card holders.
As per the new norms, the OCI cardholders who can now travel to India include the minor children with a foreign passport, the ones amidst a family emergency, couples in which one spouse has the OCI card and have permanent residence in India and lastly, the students whose parents are Indian citizens.
The government has also asked for all the PIO cards to be converted to OCI cards. The deadline for the change has been extended till next year as many of the NRIs were not even aware of the process when it was first announced. Some travellers were even taken away from the airport because of it.
But, with the ongoing pandemic, the process of conversion of the PIO cards to the OCI cards by the varying Indian embassies and consulates have come to an abrupt end at this point. So, if you are someone with a PIO card which hasn’t been converted yet, it is likely they will face issues at the airports while travelling.
In the same, the PIO/OCI card holders whose foreign passport has expired will also likely face an issue with the travel. With the kind of uncertainty looming around the travel fluidity across, changing things within days can be hectic, not to mention that many would hesitate to travel overseas with the fear that they might not get to return to US.
According to the US laws, one has the permission to stay overseas for a maximum of six months and if that is extended, the individual who again comes back to US, will be questions before they are allowed entry.
With the new immigration laws posed by the Trump administration, every NRI and every person on a temporary visa in US will still question coming back or visiting India at this point, especially with the kind of uncertainty things have been imposing.
As per the reports, over 200,000 Indian nations have registered with the India’s foreign affair ministry to be rescued and brought back home. The government is prioritising the ones whose reasons are immediate and compelling at this point, like the ones who have lost their jobs, pregnant women and the individuals in need of immediate medical attention.
With the news of the OCI travels resumption, the one thing that the Indian government needs to focus on at the moment are the rules pertaining to the quarantine hotels upon getting off the flights in India. Stricter and acute measure needs to be taken to ensure the best health for all the individuals around.
Just in March and April, people have reported poor quality of the housing and facilities of the quarantine centres that are provided by the government for free. Following such complaints, the Indian government has made some hotels available to serve as the quarantine centers for the travellers who are willing to spend money to stay in the hotel for 14 days to follow the quarantine period after they land in India.
