A lawful permanent resident is some one who has been granted the right to live in a country or territory of which such person is not a citizen but where they have the right to reside on permanent basis. Permanent residency allows an individual to retain his or her citizenship while legally staying in another country. Permanent residents share a number of rights available to citizens but do not have the right to vote (permitted to UK’s Commonwealth citizens and in New Zealand). They cannot hold government positions (Canada and New Zealand allow employment in public sector). Normally (except Australia), they do not have access to the country’s consular protection. The privileges may vary depending upon the country of residence. In the United States, such a person holding permanent residency is referred to as a green card holder but more formally as a Lawful Permanent Resident. This status also gives work permit in most cases. Permanent residents have the same obligations as citizens regarding taxes.In some cases; acquiring permanent residency may have tax benefits.
Normally the permanent residents of a country may be allowed to apply for citizenship by naturalization after a period of permanent residency (typically five years) in the country concerned. Permanent Resident Status by naturalization allowed in India to foreigners with some conditions. Applicants for permanent residency must have lived in India for 11 of the last 14 years prior to application. Further, he must have lived continuously in India for a period of 12 months immediately prior to the date of application. A number of countries allow dual citizens allow dual citizenship. India does not permit dual citizenship, but the government of India vide Gazette notification no.26011/01/2014-IC-I dated 9.1.2015 notified that all the existing ‘Person of Indian Origin’ (PIO) cardholders shall be deemed to be Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders under Indian Citizenship Act of 1955. Applicants for OCI shall apply for OCI cards. Countries like Brazil and Portugal, allow permanent residency to citizenship of another country of shared heritage.
