Indian Groups in UAE Miss Deadline for Proposals on New Immigration Bill January 21, 2019 12:09
Scores Indian expatriate groups in the United Arab Emirates have missed the finishing date to recommenced changes to New Delhi’s new draft immigration act that will replace the immigration act of 1983, according to media…
Read More
NRIs Can Now Cast Their Vote in 2019 Indian General Elections January 12, 2019 13:24
In a piece of good news for Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), you can now be able to vote in the 2019 Indian general elections. Through the official website of the Election Commission of India, an NRI can register as a voter . In the website, if you click on the button titled 'Enroll as NRI voter', it takes you to a form that needs to be filled and submitted to register as a voter in the 2019 general elections. About 31 million NRIs around the world will be benefited, who are unable to cast their vote since they are no longer a resident of India. In the form, there is a list of guidelines that need to be adhered to. The form clearly states that Indians who have acquired citizenships of other countries will not be eligible. This provision has come about after a bill to amend the electoral law to allow NRIs to vote came up before the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian parliament earlier this year. Related Content: Bill Granting Voting Rights to NRIs Blocked in Rajya Sabha Overseas Indians are currently free to cast their votes if they are physically present in the constituencies where they are registered. An official announcement on this has not been made by the authorities yet. The tenure of Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance will end on May 26, 2019, and the 2019 Lok Sabha elections will be held sometime around April and May. -Sowmya Sangam
Read More
Over 5,000 Register for Indian Diaspora Conclave January 12, 2019 12:44
More than 5,000 people have been registered to take part in this year's Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) or Indian diaspora conclave to be held in Varanasi from January 21 to 23, Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh said on Friday. Briefing the media, Singh said while in the last PBD held in Bengaluru in 2016 only 500 people had registered till the time of a media briefing like the one on Friday, this time over 5,000 people have already registered for the event. Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi will kick off the conclave with Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Jugnauth as the chief guest. Related Content: PM Modi Invites Indians Living Abroad to Attend Kumbh Mela, R-Day Indian origin Members of Parliament Kanwaljit Bakshi of New Zealand and Himanshu Gulati of Norway a will be the guests of honor. The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman will be conferred on 30 individuals for their achievements and accomplishments in different fields, according to Singh. After the end of the event on January 23, the participants will be taken to Prayagraj on January 24 where they will take part in the Kumbh Mela. From there, they will be brought in special trains to New Delhi where they will witness the Republic Day on January 26, he added. -Sowmya Sangam
Read More
H-1B Visa Changes to Bring Relief to Indian IT Professionals January 12, 2019 11:06
In a much relief to Indian IT professionals in the United States, president Donald Trump on Friday assured H-1B visa holders that his administration will soon bring changes that will give them certainty to stay…
Read More
Over 25,000 Indians to Attend Rahul's Public Meeting in Dubai January 09, 2019 15:42
Over 25,000 Indian origins across the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are expected to attend the public meeting of Indian National Congress Party President Rahul Gandhi's at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday. Gandhi will be…
Read More
UK Visas to Be Expensive for Indian, Non-EU Migrants from Today January 08, 2019 10:58
As part of plans to raise the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS), the overall cost of the United Kingdom visa and non-European Union citizens will rise from Tuesday, which is payable when professionals, students, and family…
Read More
MEA Address 4,189 Complaints of Abandoned Wives in Last Three Years January 04, 2019 13:26
In the past three years, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has addressed 4,189 complaints of distressed Indian women abandoned by their non-resident Indian husbands, the Rajya Sabha was told Thursday. In 2016, a total of 1,510 such complaints were addressed, while in 2017 as many as 1,498 complaints were addressed and earlier this year, till November 30, 1,181 complaints were addressed, Minister of State for the External Affairs Ministry V K Singh said in reply to a question. Singh said the government has adopted a "multi-pronged approach to give respite to the wives deserted by their NRI husbands". "The Ministry of External Affairs provides counseling, guidance, and information about legal procedures, mechanisms for serving a judicial summons on the overseas Indian husband; filing a judicial case in India, issuing Look out circulars; impounding and revocation of Indian passport of the husband to such aggrieved women," he said. The Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) Guidelines were revised in September 2017 with an intent to provide financial and legal assistance to distressed women married to NRI spouses by all Indian Missions and Posts abroad, he added. The amount of legal and financial assistance to distressed Indian women has also been increased to USD 4,000 per case, he said in a written response. "The assistance is released to the impanelled legal counsel of the applicant or Indian Community Association or Women's Organization or an NGO concerned to enable them to take necessary and appropriate steps to assist the woman in documentation and preparatory work for filing the case," he said. -Sowmya Sangam
Read More
SEBI Brings in Single Regime for NRI, FPI, PIO Investors January 04, 2019 10:25
Indian regulatory body Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has come out with rules for the merger of Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI) and non-resident Indians/overseas citizens routes to bring in a single regime for…
Read More
Indian Govt. to Bring Stringent Law on NRIs Abandoning Wives January 02, 2019 11:24
The Indian government is geared up to bring omnibus legislation that will prescribe stiff measures like the cancellation of a Non-Resident Indian (NRI) holder's Indian passport if he found to have deserted his wife. About 4,300 lawsuits of NRI men deserting their wives in India have been registered in the last three years. Under the proposed law, if an NRI husband deserts his wife and flee, a court summon published in the Indian Ministry of External Affairs website will be deemed to have been searched. And, as soon as the summon is entered as 'served' if the person fails to appear in court on the given date, his passport can be canceled and his property in India seized. The law will also make the registration of marriage mandatory within 15 working days. The Indian government has up to now canceled the passport of 33 non-resident Indians for deserting their wives. The Passport Act comprises provisions for cancellation of passport of a holder who has received a summons for a court appearance or has a warrant for his/her arrest under any law that prohibits departure from India. Thus, the new law will just formalize this for desertion of spouses by NRIs. The larger point, however, is that, while there needs to be stringent action against such abandonment, canceling passports encourages further law-breaking. To be certain, before 2011, passports were not impounded and there was little that the deserted wives could do. Nonetheless, revoking passports means the person is liable to remain underground/illegally in a foreign nation in a bid to escape the law. -Sowmya Sangam
Read More
Quick Guide to Open Resident Foreign Currency Account for Returning NRI December 31, 2018 10:17
A returning Non-Resident Indian (NRI) would have assets and bank accounts abroad, as well as income generated from these assets would be in a foreign currency. According to the report, a returning NRI has the…
Read More
Protests in Kerala Against Body Weighing by Airlines December 28, 2018 18:07
The members of the Malabar Development Forum (MDF) staged a protest in Kerala on Thursday against what they called the "inhuman and cruel practice" of charging transportation fee by airline companies on the bodies of…
Read More
Bill Granting Voting Rights to NRIs Blocked in Rajya Sabha December 28, 2018 11:29
The united opposition in Rajya Sabha on Thursday blocked the much sought after a bill by the Central Government that proposes to amend the Representation of the People Act, 1951 to allow the overseas voters to appoint proxies to cast their votes in the state assemblies and Lok Sabha elections. To their amazement, most of the opposition parties found that a bill Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill, 2017 was listed in the business list. In the Business Advisory committee meeting took place in the chamber of Rajya Sabha chairman, most of the leaders, including Venkaiah Naidu, opposed the ways saying treasury benches listed the proposed legislation without their consultation. The Chairman of the Rajya Sabha asked the Government to discuss with the opposition on the bill and find a consensus. The opposition parties as well decided to oppose the Triple Talaq Bill as passed by the Lok Sabha if it comes to Rajya Sabha. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his most of the visit to foreign countries assured the non-Resident Indian community that they will be given voting rights for the Lok Sabha and assembly polls of the country. The Government was very keen to bring the bill before the coming Lok Sabha poll. The bill was passed in Lok Sabha in the last monsoon session of the Parliament. Central Law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad gave an argument that it would be a "momentous event" and a big opportunity was being given to NRIs. He said the constitution makers had given the right to vote to all Indians and as such the NRIs also had the right. "Let us not deride the contribution of NRIs. They have made a place for themselves by their hard work. Their commitment to India is truly remarkable," he said. Responding to the apprehension of some members that the proxy provision can be used fraudulently, he said rules will be made in such a way that if the law is flouted, it will lead to cancellation of the mandate. -Sowmya sangam
Read More
