Indians lead the pack in obtaining citizenship in wealthy countries, mostly US

Even while relations between India and the North American country of Canada have lately deteriorated, record numbers of Indians have recently emigrated to OECD member nations.

Indian immigration to Canada increased by 174% between 2021 and 2022, according to the OECD’s International Migration Outlook: 2023 report, which was published on Monday (Oct. 23).

In 2022, 2.8 million people, a record number and a 25% increase from the year before, foreign nationals became citizens of OECD nations. Indians have ruled the list since 2019, regardless of the fact the ranking didn’t split down by nation.

The majority of citizenships were awarded by the US

In OECD members in 2021, almost 130,000 Indians were granted citizenship, with 56,000 of those being granted in the United States. With 24,000, Australia came in second place, and Canada contributed 12,000 as well.

On the list of immigrants, Chinese nationals are fifth with 57,000 having obtained OECD citizenship.

The OECD

An intergovernmental association called the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) was established in 1961 to advance economic development and international trade.

It is headquartered in France and has 38 member countries, including developed countries—wealthy nations recognised for their high Human Development Index scores. They have a total population of about 1.38 billion.

Indians can now enter Sri Lanka without a visa

Sri Lanka approved visa-free entrance to India, China, Russia, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, and Thailand on Tuesday (Oct. 24), according to another piece of news out of Sri Lanka.

The trial initiative, which started immediately, will go until March 31, 2024, according to Ali Sabry, Sri Lanka’s minister of foreign affairs.

Sabry announced on X that the “Cabinet approves issuing free visas to India, China, Russia, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia and Thailand with immediate effect as a pilot project until 31 March.”