Overseas Indians, officially Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and People of Indian Origin (PIOs) are Indians who reside or originate outside of India. According to the Government of India, Non-Resident Indians are citizens of India who currently are not living in India, while the term People of Indian Origin refers to people of Indian birth or ancestry who are citizens of countries other than India. Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) is given to People of Indian Origin and to persons who are not People of Indian Origin but married to Indian citizen or People of Indian Origin. Persons with OCI status are known as Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs). The OCI status is a permanent visa for visiting India with a foreign passport.
Individuals of Indian origin have achieved a high demographic profile in metropolitan areas worldwide, including India Square (Little Bombay) in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States, home to the highest concentration of Asian Indians in the Western Hemisphere.
Indian trader's family in Bagamoyo, German East Africa, around 1906/18
British Raj Indian indentured laborers in Trinidad and Tobago, c. 1890–1896.
Navanethem Pillay, an Indian South African descent who served as the U.N High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Overseas Citizenship of India
Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) is a form of permanent residency available to people of Indian origin and their spouses which allows them to live and work in India indefinitely. It allows the cardholders a lifetime entry to the country along with benefits such as being able to own land and make other investments in the country.
Data page of an OCI card issued on or after 9 January 2015
Front cover of an OCI card issued between 9 January 2006 and 8 January 2015
Data page of an OCI card issued between 9 January 2006 and 8 January 2015
Lifelong "U" visa stamped on the OCI holder's passport (for OCIs issued between 9 January 2006 and 8 January 2015)