Indians who seek a better life in the USA will no longer have to forfeit allegiance to their own country if they plan to become American citizens.

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Currently, ethnic Indians living abroad have to forfeit their native citizenship if they leave India to live and naturalize in another country. 

But recently, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee made an announcement that things will be changing. The details were outlined at a gathering in the capital of New Dehli, where 1500 nonresident Indians, including Nobel laureates, businesspeople and politicians, gathered. 

India will be allowing dual citizenship for those of its people living in the United States and several other affluent countries, in an effort to spur  investments in Indian markets and put to rest a longstanding irritation among ethnic Indians. Although they probably won't be able to vote while living abroad, Indians will be able to visit their homeland without visas now. Or guilt. Many have been plagued by their decision to renounce their Indian citizenship when all they really wanted to do was give their families a better life in a much more economically sound country. It never meant they wanted to give up their cultural backgrounds, ethnic identity or ties to their native country.

Citizenship will be granted on a case-by-case basis. At the moment, only ethnic Indians from the United States, Canada, England, the European Union, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore may apply. Based partly on security concerns, those in developing countries such as Kenya or Pakistan will not be allowed to apply. 

India has ambitious plans to increase investments in India from foreign sources by some $6 billion per year. An estimated 20 million Indians live outside of India. The law states that non-citizens cannot own property, among other things. So affluent ex-pats were unable to build hospitals, schools or corporations in India to help improve conditions and the economy. Now that can be done, and since the Indians tend to have such strong cultural ties and allegiance to their roots, it is likely that it will be done, and that the goal will be met.

Jennifer

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