Posted on: 13-01-05 14:49:14
bhavna,
Look into the websites of the high commisison and the consular office in Toronto reg. PIO card. U should get the card in 15-20 days.
Note that the overseas citizenship takes much longer since the application has to go to Delhi for approval. No imaginations here reg the time it takes. It is a certificate issued in the bearer name that he/she is an overseas citizen of India. What good it is I am still not convinced, at least it's a money spinner for the India govt.
Quote:Yes, a dual US/Canadian citizen is allowed to vote in both countries.
Orginally posted by crenshaw
On a different note....
If a person was a dual Canadian and American citizen, wouldn’t they be allowed to vote in both countries? I can’t see any reason why India’s dual citizenship rules should be any different….
Which is why I don't want India to have the same law.
I don't think it is right and in the interest of the country.
The US may do it, I don't care - I am not a US Citizen.
If I were a US citizen (or ever became one), I will approach my congressman and tell him my thoughts and maybe ask him to move a motion for changing the laws.
The reason it is not right is because a person who does not hold citizenship should not be allowed to participate in the country's democratic process.
In the first place, the person has given up Indian citizenship to become a citizen of another country - for whatever reason - family, economic, refugee, whatever - the reason does not matter.
A person who has in the past surrendered the citizenship of a country should not have the right to vote or run for office in that country.
Secondary, it creates a conflict of interest - and the best example is the US/Canada scenario.
Let is say that I think the US war in Iraq is a great thing and what GWB is doing for the economy is great too (there are a lot of Americans who think so).
However, I know that GWB is not the best person for US-Canada relations and free trade - John Kerry would have been more open for free trade and US-Canada friendship and interaction.
Who should I vote for - if I am a US citizen and a Canadian citizen at the same time.
I am required to have the best interest in mind for the country I am a citizen of, right?
Should I ignore what is in the best interest of the US (GWB) and vote for JK because that is best for Canada?
A similar situation can potentially happen in India.
For example, say Bill Clinton and GWB are contesting US elections and I am a dual citizen.
I know Clinton will be great for US-India relations and GWB will be a nightmare.
But Clinton is an international pacifist and will not be able to deal with the threat of terrorism, Iraq, and North Korea, but GWB will blast the heck of them.
Who should I vote for?
Take the example of a dual citizen holding public office in India.
Say I win a parliament seat in the Lok Sabha in a general elections.
The PM makes me trade minister.
I am approached by US companies wanting to do a certain type of business in India.
I know that this business will do wonders for the US economy, but is harmful for the Indian economy because it undermines public sector.
What should I do?
There are many, many more ramifications to the issue of dual citizenship - it is not a simple thing.
Maybe for US/Canada it is not such a big deal, but for countries as different as US and India, it has several ramifications.
Anyway, all this aside, if you are not an Indian citizen, all you need is the facility to be able to visit your family and friends without a visa.
Why do you want to vote in India anyway, and why do you want to run for public office or take a govt. job anyway?
Doesn't make sense to me.
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"Mah deah, there is much more money to be made in the destruction of civilization than in building it up."
-- Rhett Butler in "Gone with the Wind"
Pratickm
There can be a range of conflict of interest issues. For example there are large Jewish lobby groups in the US who (with a fair degree of success) work towards ensuring favorable US policy towards Israel. Similarly, I have family in the US that are US citizens, and I’m sure that a favorable policy towards India and Indian Americans is one of the factors that they take into consideration in deciding the candidate that they will vote for in any election. They would do this irrespective of whether or not they are dual US / Indian citizens. There would be no way to stop this other than to deny the right to vote to all naturalized citizens and their descendants, which would be against the principles of democracy.
Lobby and interest groups will always exist, irrespective of whether dual and naturalized citizens are granted voting rights and rights to run for office. In the case of a government minister, the decision making system should have the appropriate checks and balances built into it to ensure that decisions that bind the government are in the country’s best interest, rather than preventing a dual or naturalized citizen from running for office (although I’m aware that a naturalized citizen cannot run for the office for President in the US).
I think for a country like India, dual citizenship simply complicates things a lot.
There is anyway a lot of tax evasion and other kinds of corruption - dual citizenship will create more avenues for the crooks.
Imagine a person like Laloo becoming a dual citizen - he can rise to even greater heights of corruption and evasion.
It is ok for Indian Americans to vote for whoever they think benefits India more - that is for them to decide.
But usually things have been very clear cut in most elections for most people.
This election was the first time people were tested on what they really believe and what they want for their country.
If I were an American living in the mid-west (where GWB made a clean sweep), and I also were an Indian citizen, I would have had a tough time deciding who to vote for.
The American in me would make me vote for GWB, but I know that's disastrous for the rest of the world, esp. India.
But JK is a pacifist and has no real standing on any of the issues - a real "dharam sankat" on what to do !
Maybe at some point in the future, India might be ready for dual citizenship, but not yet.
Then there are tax and other issues to deal with - between Canada and US things are much easier.
They have common databases, retirement funds can be carried over, etc.
India doesn't have the administrative infrastructure to deal with things like dual taxation, etc.
Quote:Yeah, otherwise Arnold would have been the President of the United States this time
(although I’m aware that a naturalized citizen cannot run for the office for President in the US).
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"Mah deah, there is much more money to be made in the destruction of civilization than in building it up."
-- Rhett Butler in "Gone with the Wind"
Hi Partikm,
The concept of dual citizen is to ease the citizen so that there is no ristriction is the movement, business, and he has the right to express himself etc. Regarding the voting rights, in all democratic setputs all individual have the right to contest / vote as per his freewill based on his judgment.
After all it is the will of the people which runs the government. What is good or bad for the country is decided by the People.
I strongly advocate voting right for a dual citizen of India. Otherwise it does not make any sense.
Quote:Sure, I agree.
Orginally posted by Fresher
Hi Partikm,
The concept of dual citizen is to ease the citizen so that there is no ristriction is the movement, business, and he has the right to express himself etc.
For that purpose, the PIO card, alongwith some additional rights to operate and own business/property will suffice.
I see no reason to grant citizenship to people of Indian origin, in terms of voting rights.
Quote:Exactly, and the "people" in this case, should be people who are current citizens.
Regarding the voting rights, in all democratic setputs all individual have the right to contest / vote as per his freewill based on his judgment.
After all it is the will of the people which runs the government. What is good or bad for the country is decided by the People.
Not people who have forsaken Indian citizenship in the past (for whatever reason).
What happens in the case of children of Indian nationals born abroad, who are citizen of the country they are born in.
According to you, they ought to be granted voting rights in India.
Why?
Quote:Right. Dual citizenship does not make sense without voting rights.
I strongly advocate voting right for a dual citizen of India. Otherwise it does not make any sense.
But voting rights should not be granted to people who have forsaken the citizenship.
People have to give up citizenship for several valid reasons - family reasons, economic reasons, whatever.
There is nothing wrong or shameful in surrendering the citizenship of India and accepting citizenship of another country.
However, life comes with choices - you give something up to get something.
There is a sacrifice for everything in life.
You cannot eat your cake and have it too.
There is a choice and tradeoff in everything - why should this be any different?
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"Mah deah, there is much more money to be made in the destruction of civilization than in building it up."
-- Rhett Butler in "Gone with the Wind"
