Originally Posted by
oliver2002
Oh dear, I trust you haven't applied for a US visa recently, its pretty much the same procedure. The pain is worse since you have to appear in person for an interview, even for a tourist visa. The thing with the PIO endorsement is BS though, I have had three passports the past 10 years I have my PIO card and never got any any added to the document. The immigration officers doesn't give a rodents behind to check the endorsement. The reason for the renounciation paperwork is based on the fact that many of our brethren simply continued to hold indian passports after obtaining a new citizenship, for whatever reason.
US visas have such requirements because they do not want Indians immigrating here en masse thru tourist visas and then just disappearing. Pretty sure the case is not the same way around.
The next argument is to keep terrorists out does not hold water as terrorists seem to walk in and out of India as they please. Make the paperwork more difficult for countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, and countries in the Middle East.
Simpliy the paperwork for countries who are your friends/allies or a a big business partner.
For ex-Indian citizens, the process should not be so complicated. Renunciation is just a stupid requirement and I did not want to pay a govt just to renunciate my citizenship, but have no other choice as my daughter will not get here PIO endorsement. The customs officer in India might not look at the endorsement, but the airlines here do and they will not let you fly unless the endorsement is correct -- happened to my Mom when she was going to India approx 2 yrs and AA would not let her board the flight from DFW. She had to fly to Houston and get the consulate to do the paperwork on a emergency basis and she had to catch another flight.