More than 200,000 Indian nationals had renounced their citizenship in 2022 – the highest figure since 2011
Australia is increasingly becoming a preferred destination for Indians seeking citizenship, with 23,533 individuals having attained nationality across the ditch in 2021.
India’s External Affairs Minister, S. Jayashankar, told the Indian Parliament that more than 200,000 Indian nationals had renounced their citizenship in 2022 – the highest figure since 2011.
Of the 135 countries in which Indians acquired citizenship, New Zealand ranked sixth, while the United States claimed top spot.
In 2019, more than 21,000 Indians obtained Australian nationality, whereas only 4,413 acquired Kiwi passports.
In 2021, the Ministry of Home Affairs reported that 163,000 Indians renounced their Indian passports. Among them, more than 78,000 opted for US citizenship
Although both countries experienced a decline in 2020 due to Covid-19, Australia managed to retain its second spot.
In 2021, both nations observed an increase, with 23,533 Indians trading in their Indian passports for Australian citizenship. Conversely, approximately a tenth of that figure pursued Kiwi citizenship.
According to the 2018 census, New Zealand is home to around 240,000 individuals of Indian ethnicity. Among them, 80,000 are non-resident Indians (NRIs) who still retain Indian citizenship, while the remainder consists of people of Indian origin (PIO).
In contrast, Australia has a minimum of 241,000 NRIs and at least 255,000 PIOs, which potentially explains the higher count of Australian citizenships.
In 2021, the Ministry of Home Affairs reported that 163,000 Indians renounced their Indian passports. Among them, more than 78,000 opted for US citizenship.
According to the Indian government, more than 390,000 Indians have surrendered their Indian passports over the past three years.
Like many other Asian countries, India does not permit its citizens to hold dual nationalities.
However, it allows citizens to be an overseas citizen of India, a form of permanent residency that permits them to live and work indefinitely in India.
*******************************************************
Readers
These are extraordinary times. All of us have to rely on high-impact, trustworthy journalism. And this is especially true of the Indian Diaspora. Members of the Indian community overseas cannot be fed with inaccurate news.
Pravasi Samwad is a venture that has no shareholders. It is the result of an impassioned initiative of a handful of Indian journalists spread around the world. We have taken the small step forward with the pledge to provide news with accuracy, free from political and commercial influence. Our aim is to keep you, our readers, informed about developments at ‘home’ and across the world that affect you.
Please help us to keep our journalism independent and free.
In these difficult times, to run a news website requires finances. While every contribution, big or small, will makes a difference, we request our readers to put us in touch with advertisers worldwide. It will be a great help.
For more information: pravasisamwad00@gmail.com
