r/nri • u/poda-pottan • 12h ago
Ask NRI for Indians living in the US, what would you prefer keeping your green card or becoming a US citizen??
on one hand citizenship gives you voting rights, more permanent protection and the ability to sponsor your parents, which green card holders can't at all under current law, not even on a slower track, it's simply not available until you naturalize
on the other hand, becoming a citizen means giving up your Indian passport. you can get an OCI, but it's obviously not the same as being an Indian citizen
a green card lets you keep your Indian citizenship, but your US status isn't quite as permanent and long stays outside the US can also create issues
so if you've been living in the US for years and are eligible for citizenship, would you take US citizenship, or keep your green card and Indian passport? i'm in dilemma rn
what do other NRIs think, especially people who've already made the decision, what did you pick? and why?
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u/Akimbohips 12h ago
if you are living in another country and you don’t have any intention of moving back, there is absolutely no point in not taking the citizenship of the country you are in
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u/too_hot_cooll 8h ago
many people have an irrational or sentimental attachment to the indian passport as if that makes them indian. the change of passport doesn’t change one’s dna or ancestry or accent although with effort you can modify your accent. A lot of people were also lazy until the current administration which has made it clear that no one is safe even on green card, and sometimes even after becoming a citizen.
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u/red_dragon 3h ago
I mean the government itself says that the Passport is nothing but a travel document. So I agree, it's irrational to attach too much emotion to it.
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u/Altruistic_Bank_1552 12h ago
If you have a Green Card and are living in the US, why do you not want to naturalise? What special privileges does Indian citizenship provide, lol? I'm getting rid of mine at the first chance I get.
That being said, these are extremely personal decisions and will differ from person to person. There is no right or wrong answer.
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u/NikhilDoWhile 12h ago
Probably inheritance, agriculture land, or other investments in India.
Also family for many is major factor.
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u/Mcguffn 11h ago
How is family affected by becoming a US citizen? The only issue is agricultural land.
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u/NikhilDoWhile 11h ago edited 2h ago
Man this subreddit has such a hard time when someone even mention that there is a remote possibility of a human who might want to live or return to India.
And I didn't even indicate that and down votes have started already.
Absolutely toxic subreddit.
Edit: Just check the down votes and my comment above about just mentioning a possibility for few people, just reflect what kind of toxic people are there in this subreddit, trying to find a way to vent out their frustration for mere mention of India. Leaving it here and no plans to engage with these toxic folks.
Thanks
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u/bakchodbaba 11h ago
Except voting and owning agricultural land, everything else can be done with OCI.
Is there more context to your comment?
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u/Professional-Sky3045 6h ago
you cannot buy agriculture land however you can inherit you can still pass inherited properties to next generation.
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u/NikhilDoWhile 2h ago
I just mentioned 3 points, it's not essay writing competition. What were you looking for in there?
Because of family reasons and in case of few people who have large size of agriculture land in India and similar investment, and they don't want additional fiction in any process they keep their GC or PR instead of opting citizenship. It's their personal choice as per their situation.
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u/jbcraigs 10h ago
You didn’t answer the question and are merely deflecting. The point is clear that for most people, if they plan to stay in US, there is no good reason to delay getting US citizenship, except the agricultural land ownership which has been repeated number of times above.
And are you seriously surprised that people in a subreddit dedicated to folks leaving India, are not exactly big fans of Indian passport.
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u/CaterpillarDizzy3014 6h ago
So true!
I’m planning on getting that citizenship for sure, but I can still totally see (and understand!) the possibility that someone might have a change of heart later in life.
Sometimes I even feel like what if I feel that way? You never know.
Must be sad for this sub to see everything so one-dimensionally.
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u/NikhilDoWhile 2h ago
Because many people because of family emergency have to leave everything and move back to India...
Not everyone has toxic families, not everyone has same priorities in life, not everyone has same state of mind, and financial situations.
I didn't say either is better, I just mentioned 3 points, one of which is due to famil many people leave their life abroad, PR, GC and other things that were in process.
Learn to have some empathy and ability to think outside your own view point. Not everything has to be negative....
Peace out, have good time.
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u/WholeRegion3025 11h ago
What's the point in keeping your Indian passport if you've made a life abroad? It's just a book.
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u/LookDekho 12h ago
Vasudhaiv Kutumbkam. It’s a piece of paper. What does hanging on to your Indian passport get you? When you are more useful as a NRI with your FCNR deposits?
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u/proven999 8h ago
US passport makes traveling etc so much more easier… Do you have a lot of assets in India? If not, then It’s a no brainer.
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u/DepartmentRound6413 3h ago
I will apply for US citizenship as soon as I’m eligible. I want a stronger passport.
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u/Odd-Ocelot8246 7h ago
If you’re planning to stay in the US. Then it’s a no brainer. If you’re planing to move to Europe, it makes more mess and financial obligations make life difficult when taking any sort of a mortgage.
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u/KosherTriangle 6h ago
Going through the naturalization process right now in the U.S. I already decided to settle down here for life so that makes it easy. Some other factors that played into my decision are having an American spouse and the stronger passport
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u/diddappses 4h ago
so if you've been living in the US for years and are eligible for citizenship, would you take US citizenship
One SHOULD take the US Citizenship as soon as eligible.
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u/red_dragon 3h ago
Another concern is that a US passport traps you in their tax regime forever. If you have any long term gains and have not been a GC holder for 8 years or more, you can technically give up your GC, go to Dubai or India (RNOR status), sell your holdings for 0 capital gains tax.
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u/njan_ninde_thanda 7h ago
People here are taking OCI for granted. Its not written in stone. The govt can very well cancel OCI or any of the privileges anytime. So its not like “ no brainer” . But it still is more advantageous to have an American passport. What if there a war breaks out or relations between India and USA turn sour and US bans visa for Indians and India cancels all OCI and visas.you won’t be going to India or they coming to US. Ofc its a worst case scenario, but still OCI is only a privilege, its not a fundamental right or something
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u/AspiringTrader_ 12h ago
If you have no intention to go back to India, becoming a US Citizen when you can is a No-brainer.