NRI Guide
- NRI Guide
OCI Card 2026: e-OCI Shift, Eligibility & Application Guide
India has fully digitized the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) process, launching the electronic OCI card. Now, all new applicants receive a downloadable digital credential instead of being forced to wait for physical booklets, making the entire process faster, more secure, and completely paperless
NRI Herald • Jul 18
- NRI Guide
US Health Insurance for Newcomers: A Plain Guide for Indian Immigrants
How US health coverage really works, employer plans, the marketplace, deductibles and copays, and what visiting parents need, for Indians new to the system.
NRI Herald • Jul 12
- NRI Guide
Bringing Your Spouse From India: K-1, CR-1 and the Marriage Green Card
The routes to bring a fiance or spouse from India to the US, how they differ for citizens and green-card holders, and which path fits your situation.
NRI Herald • Jul 12
- NRI Guide
OCI vs PIO: What Changed and What the OCI Card Gives You
Why the PIO card was merged into OCI, who is eligible for an OCI, and exactly what rights it grants, and does not, for people of Indian origin abroad.
NRI Herald • Jul 12
- NRI Guide
In-State Tuition and College for Visa-Holder Families: What to Check
Why residency status can slash public-university tuition, how it works for H-4 and green-card kids, and the financial-aid rules Indian families should verify early.
NRI Herald • Jul 12
- NRI Guide
EAD Renewal: How to Keep Your Work Permit Without a Gap
How to renew a US work permit (EAD) on time, when an automatic extension keeps you working, and the filing timing that stops a costly break in authorisation.
NRI Herald • Jul 12
- NRI Guide
Buying Property in India as an NRI: The FEMA Rules, Explained
What NRIs and OCIs can and cannot buy in India, how to pay through the right accounts, the tax and TDS to expect, and how sale proceeds can be sent back to the US.
NRI Herald • Jul 12
- NRI Guide
US Tax Filing Basics for H-1B Workers and New Immigrants
Resident vs non-resident, the W-2 and Form 1040, FICA, the April deadline, and the foreign-account forms new arrivals from India most often miss.
NRI Herald • Jul 12
- NRI Guide
Aging Out and the Child Status Protection Act, Explained
Why children in the long green-card queue risk losing eligibility at 21, how the CSPA can freeze their age, and the one-year deadline families must not miss.
NRI Herald • Jul 12
- NRI Guide
Green-Card Holder Travel: Re-Entry Permits and the Abandonment Risk
How long a permanent resident can stay outside the US, when a trip abroad puts your green card at risk, and how a re-entry permit protects a longer absence.
NRI Herald • Jul 12
- NRI Guide
Social Security and 401(k): What Happens if You Move Back to India
Whether your US Social Security taxes ever pay off, what to do with a 401(k) or IRA when you leave, and why the missing US-India totalization agreement matters.
NRI Herald • Jul 12
- NRI Guide
Bringing Your Parents to the US: The B-2 Visitor Visa, Explained
How Indian parents apply for a B-1/B-2 visitor visa, the documents and interview that matter, how long they can stay, and why strong ties to India are the key.
NRI Herald • Jul 12
- NRI Guide
From Green Card to US Citizen: Naturalization, and the Indian Passport Question
The eligibility, tests and N-400 process to become a US citizen, plus the twist Indians must plan for: surrendering the Indian passport and applying for OCI.
NRI Herald • Jul 12
- NRI Guide
Sending Money From the US to India: A Practical Guide for NRIs
How to move money home for the most rupees: comparing transfer methods, reading the true exchange-rate cost, choosing NRE vs NRO, and the tax basics to know.
NRI Herald • Jul 12
- NRI Guide
Buying a Home in the US on a Work Visa: What H-1B Holders Should Know
You don't need a green card to buy a US home. How mortgages work for visa holders, the down payment and ongoing costs, and the visa-timeline risk to weigh first.
NRI Herald • Jul 12
- NRI Guide
From H-1B to Green Card: The Full Timeline, Explained
The three stages every H-1B worker goes through to a green card, PERM, I-140 and the final I-485, why the wait is so long for Indians, and what you can do along the way.
NRI Herald • Jul 12
- NRI Guide
STEM OPT, Explained: How Indian Students Get 3 Years of US Work Time
How OPT and the 24-month STEM extension work, who qualifies, what employers must do, and how it buys F-1 students extra tries at the H-1B lottery.
NRI Herald • Jul 12
- NRI Guide
F-1 to H-1B: How the Transition and the Cap-Gap Work
Moving from a student visa to an H-1B, the lottery timing, and the cap-gap rule that keeps you in status between OPT ending and H-1B beginning.
NRI Herald • Jul 12
- NRI Guide
Your First 90 Days in the USA: A Settling-In Checklist for Indians
SSN, banking, building US credit from zero, a driver's license, phone and housing, the paper trail every newcomer from India needs to set up first.
NRI Herald • Jul 12
- NRI Guide
H-1B Lottery, Explained: How Registration, Selection and the Cap Actually Work
A plain-English guide to the H-1B cap lottery for Indian professionals: how the March registration works, what your real odds are, and what happens after you're selected.
NRI Herald • Jul 12
- NRI Guide
H-4 Visa and the H-4 EAD: Can an H-1B Spouse Work in the US?
Who qualifies for an H-4 dependent visa, when the spouse can get a work permit (EAD), how to apply, and the policy caveats Indian families should watch closely.
NRI Herald • Jul 12
- NRI Guide
Green Card Priority Dates for India, Explained (The Visa Bulletin Made Simple)
What a priority date is, why Indian applicants wait years, and how to read the monthly Visa Bulletin to track your place in the employment-based green-card queue.
NRI Herald • Jul 12
- NRI Guide
OCI Card Renewal and Re-Issuance: A Step-by-Step Guide for NRIs
When you must re-issue your OCI card, the documents you need, and how to complete the process online, for Indian-origin families living in the United States.
NRI Herald • Jul 12
- NRI Guide
NRI Taxes 101: What Indians in the US Owe in Both Countries
US worldwide income, Indian residency rules, FBAR and FATCA, NRE and NRO accounts, and the India-US tax treaty, a plain-English map for Indian professionals in America.
NRI Herald • Jul 12