MALAYSIA: Not citizenship — What India’s Expanded OCI Actually Offers Sixth-Gen Indian Malaysians

Posted by Asia Views | Nov 10, 2025 | 0 |

MalayMail-Nov 10

Is India now offering dual citizenship to Indian Malaysians? Following a major policy change, the answer is a firm no, but something significant is on the table. Sixth-generation Indian Malaysians can now apply for India’s Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) status — up from the previous three-generation limit — potentially qualifying tens of thousands more for lifelong privileges in India. Here’s what the OCI card actually is, what it offers, and who is eligible. The OCI is a lifetime visa and a legal recognition for foreign citizens with Indian ancestry.

It is not citizenship, as neither Malaysia nor India recognizes dual citizenship. It also differs from Non-Resident Indian (NRI) status, which applies to Indian citizens living abroad. OCI holders are, by definition, foreign citizens.

The OCI card grants several significant benefits, including: A multiple-entry, multi-purpose, life-long visa to visit India. The ability to acquire residential and commercial property (excluding agricultural land). Parity with NRIs in financial, economic, and educational fields. While it is not citizenship, an OCI cardholder who has held the card for five years and resided in India for at least one of those years can apply for Indian citizenship. What are the limitations? OCI holders are not Indian citizens and therefore cannot vote in Indian elections, hold government employment, serve in the legislature or judiciary, or hold constitutional posts like president or vice-president. Not all Malaysian Indians qualify. Key exclusions include those with ancestry from Bangladesh, China, Pakistan, or Sri Lanka. Current or retired personnel from the police, Defense Ministry, or Foreign Affairs Ministry. Asylum-seekers and certain categories of children (for instance, adopted or born out of wedlock). Read more at: https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2025/11/10/not-citizenship-what-indias-expanded-oci-actually-offers-sixth-gen-malaysian-indians/197586

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EXTRICATING NDONESIAN CHILDREN FROM ISIS INFLUENCE ABROAD

Indonesia urgently needs to revisit the possibility of repatriating the neediest of its young citizens stranded abroad, whose families had earlier joined ISIS. Most of these children are in camps in northern Syria but there are also small numbers in the Philippines, Afghanistan and Iraq. “Extricating Indonesian Children from ISIS Influence Abroad”, the latest report from the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) argues that the government could begin by bringing back small groups of unaccompanied children under ten years of age, who pose minimal security risk and are most vulnerable to deteriorating conditions in the camps.“The problem is that health and security conditions are worsening by the day in the Syrian camps, and the children are growing older,” says Dyah Kartika, IPAC analyst. “They need access to schools, a nurturing environment, and medical attention. If the government waits too long, the children will be further exposed to ISIS ideology.” The new report examines a 2019 list of Indonesians in camps and prisons run by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The Indonesian government has been trying to verify their citizenship, but with pseudonyms, misspellings and bad transliterations, it is a daunting task. At the time the data was collected, between March and June 2019, there were 555 Indonesians in SDF camps and prisons, including 367 children. Among the children, approximately 277 were under the age of ten and 34 were unaccompanied. In June 2021, there are fewer than ten children who are both unaccompanied and under the age of ten that could be prioritized for return. Bringing back children of ISIS families is no easy task. The report analyses the main challenges faced by the Indonesian government. These include definitional issues, bureaucratic competition, the difficulty of verifying nationality, evaluating the toll of exposure to conflict, assessing security risk, and finding relatives or others willing to provide care once the children are returned. In addition, COVID has meant stringent restrictions on travel, placing further obstacles in the way of repatriation. There are several models for rehabilitation of children exposed to violent extremism in Indonesia that could be modified to accommodate the needs of children repatriated from abroad. The report examines these models and argues that the government does not need to have every detail of rehabilitation programs in place before it starts extricating children from ISIS influence. It can start by bringing back the most vulnerable children and then modify programs as needed.

“It’s important that the government see these children as victims” says Dyah. “They deserve a chance to be children again.”

MALAYSIA: Not citizenship — What India’s Expanded OCI Actually Offers Sixth-Gen Indian Malaysians

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