Minister of Immigration and Corrections Agus Andrianto framed the new policy as “a solution to the issue of dual citizenship”.
“GCI is a solution that addresses the dual citizenship controversy by granting broad residency rights to foreign nationals who have strong ties to Indonesia without changing their foreign citizenship status and without violating state regulations,” he said in a statement.
According to Agus, the GCI is modelled after the Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) scheme, which was launched in 2006 and provides permanent residency to individuals of Indian origin and their spouses, allowing them to work and live in India indefinitely.
India has issued more than 5 million OCI cards as of May, according to its Ministry of Home Affairs.
