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Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement at Madison Square Garden in New York that life-time visas will soon be given to Persons of Indian Origin card holders, the Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday issued a notification in this regard.
The statement from the Ministry said, “Person of Indian Origin (PIO) card shall be valid for lifetime and the PIO Card holder shall be exempt from police reporting/ registration.”
The statement further clarified that all PIO Cards issued till September 30, 2014, are automatically deemed to have life-time validity.
Addressing the Indian Diaspora at the venue, which witnessed a historic turnout, Modi on September 28, also said the Indian Government will look at giving long-term visas to US nationals visiting India for tourism. He also added that American tourists will be given visa on arrival.
Citing that there are differences between the PIO and OCI (Overseas Citizens of India) schemes, he said PIO cardholders will be granted visa for life, and a new scheme, merging the two schemes, will be announced soon.
In his speech, he said India had three great strengths — democracy, demography and demand.
Indian Americans comprise about 1 per cent (2.81 million people) of the US population, according to estimates.
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