The National Testing Agency (NTA) has made an important amendment in the NEET eligibility criteria for OCI, PIO card holder students wishing to appear for NEET 2023. Now, the NEET aspirants living abroad will be able to check the corrigendum at the official NEET website — neet.nta.nic.in.
The revised guideline states that the Indian nationals, NRIs, Overseas citizens of India (OCI), persons with Indian origin (PIO) and foreign nationals will now be eligible for admission in Medical, Dental, Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Homeopathy colleges.
Here is the released statement by the NTA “In compliance of the Hon’ble Supreme Court Order dated 03.02.2023 in W.P No. 891 of 2021, OCI will be entitled to the rights and privileges which had been conferred on them earlier to the notification dt 04/03/2021.”
Before this amendment, any OCI Cardholder (including a PIO card holder) was observed as a foreign national holding a foreign passport and not an Indian citizen. Such students were treated as foreigners and were only able to apply for the NRI seats. They were not allowed to apply for any Indian seats, not even in the deemed universities.