Advantages of acquiring

foreign citizenship for NRIs

There may be certain benefits, of acquiring citizenship of the country you have settled in abroad. Getting visas for foreign countries, from India is definitely a time consuming and perhaps a costly affair. Once you acquire the rights of citizenship, of your adopted country you are free to come and go without a visa. In some countries, for instance Canada, only citizens are allowed to work for the federal government. Acquiring Canadian citizenship opens up job opportunities with the Government of Canada. Some countries provide medical and pension facilities that may be available only to their citizens. Citizens can come and go as often as they please. On the other hand, permanent residents of some countries, who are non-citizens are restricted from leaving the country for longer periods and need to abide by the residency requirements, to keep their resident visas valid. Those who are not citizens may require a re-entry permit to enable then to return to the country after a prolonged absence, or risk having their residency visas being cancelled. For example: A green card holder in the United States may risk losing their 'Green Card' if on return to the United States, after an extended visit aboard, the visa officer feels that the person had abandoned residency. A Canadian PR card holder would also be in the same situation if they stayed away for a prolonged period of time and did not acquire a returning resident permit.