🇳🇵Why the NRN card doesn't work - and why you should get it

_{September 24, 2024}

Top Weekly Highlights
🇳🇵 Nepal Tira: The real reason PM’s NY event was cancelled; Nepal gets a new University; and more
🌍 Sansar Ma Nepali: How many Nepali Green card holders since 2004?; US lottery fraud found in Kathmandu
🌟 The Big Story: Why the NRN card doesn’t work
🗽 Immigration: Nepali deportation numbers

Nepal Tira

Weekly Briefing: What You Need To Know

PM’s New York Event Cancelled
A planned community event in New York featuring Nepal's Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba was canceled due to security concerns.

What happened?
The event, set for September 22, was organized by the Nepali Consulate and local community groups.
The official reason for the cancellation was because of the PM and Foreign Minister’s tight schedule.

But what’s the actual reason?
According to sources, the program was postponed after local security informed organizers there would be a black-flag protest by the foreign department of the RSP, and other identity-based Nepali organizations in New York.

🏫 Nepal’s Newest University: The Federal Parliament has approved the University of Nepal Bill, paving the way for a new public university. Based in Gaindakot, it aims to enrol the first batch of students by August-September 2025.

🎈 Hot Air Balloon Festival: If you’re travelling to Nepal this winter, make sure to drop by the first International Hot Air Balloon festival in Pokhara. Taking place between Dec 24 to Jan 1, it will feature 30 companies from around the world.

Quick Hits 👇
🚨 Cooperative Scam Update
🔍 Cyber Bureau Nabs Durga Prasai 
👨🏻‍⚖️ Prachanda Demands Direct Elected President
🗼 Dharahara Reopened To The Public 
🛜 Possible Internet Outage in Nepal

The Big Story

The NRN Citizenship Card Doesn’t Work - But You Should Still Get it

The NRN Citizenship Card application process sounds pretty straightforward:

1. Relinquish Nepali Citizenship

2. Apply at the District Admin Office

3. Verify at the District Police Office

4. Obtain Ward Recommendation

5. Receive Citizenship

But it’s not.

After speaking with multiple applicants - successful and unsuccessful - it’s clear that a lot more needs to be done by the government to ease the application process.

We won’t get into the entire process here, but we’re working on a comprehensive guide that should help 👇

So, if the application process is super confusing.

And, the benefits haven’t been recognized.

What exactly is the point of getting it now…?

To Beat the rush! 

• According to sources, very few people have applied and received the card.

• Once the benefits kick-in, there’ll be a huge line of applicants.

• Most of the applicants will be travelling to Nepal around the same time.

So, if you have a foreign citizenship, and you’re planning to go to Nepal, we highly encourage you to apply and get it over with.

And here’s how we’re trying to make it easy for you👇
📒 Do it yourself — DIY guide coming next week
👩🏻‍💼 Hire someone — Reply to this email to connect with trusted lawyers.

👋 Hi there, do you want to learn Newari?

The Seattle branch of the Newah Organization of America is offering online classes for learning Newari.

• Instructor: Kesharman Tamrakar

• Every Monday from 6PM to 7PM PST

• Click here for more information

Sansar Ma Nepali

Nepali Convicted in US Lottery Fraud
Pankaj Joshi, a Nepali man, has been convicted by a Special Court in Nepal for money laundering after defrauding $1 million from a lottery winner in the US.

What Happened:
- In 2009, a customer handed his lottery ticket over to Pankaj Joshi to check if he had won anything
- Pankaj scanned the ticket, found out it was worth $1 Million, cashed the winning ticket, and fled to Nepal.
- As a result, he was placed on an INTERPOL list

The Aftermath:
- After 15 years, Joshi was convicted by a special court in Nepal, where he was charged with money laundering.
- He was fined Rs 20.6 million (USD 153,000), without a prison sentence
- The funds in his account will be confiscated
- Since Nepal doesn’t have an extradition treaty with the US, he will not be extradited

🥳 New Consulate in California: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has committed to opening a Nepali Consulate General in California. Oli made the announcement after meeting with Nepali organizations in the U.S.

🇳🇵 Global Nepali Youth Network: Jaya Nepal International Foundation, a non-profit connecting Nepalis around the world, has launched a 43-member youth network, consisting of Nepalis from 30 countries.

📖 Learn Newari from Seattle: The Seattle branch of the Newah Organization of America is offering online classes for learning Newari. The classes will be offered every Monday from 6PM to 7PM.

🇯🇵 Japan born Nepalis Stories: Interesting deep dive by Pinki Sris Rana in Nepali Times on the plight of children of Nepali parents born in Japan, and sent back to Nepal to become ‘Nepali’.

Know any stories/news about Nepalis abroad? Reply to feature them!

Creator Recommendation

Did you know a WW2 Gurkha soldier hid in the jungle for seven years? 

Sarthak Nepal, a Nepali historian, runs a channel detailing well-known and rare events in Nepali history. The above one is particularly fascinating and we highly recommend listening to this amazing story.

Here are some others we recommend👇
📺 Inside story of Nepal’s Rana Dynasty
📺 Gurkha troops’ Brunei Revolt
📺 Why did Maoists attack Holeri Police Post?

Immigration & Visas

200,000 Nepalis have US Green Cards
The number of Nepalis obtaining U.S. green cards has exceeded 200,000, with 87,000 individuals now U.S. citizens, marking a significant rise over the past decades.

Background:

• Before 1996, only around 3,500 Nepalis had received U.S. green cards.

• In 2013 alone, 13,046 cards were issued to Nepalis.

• From 2011 to 2019, it consistently grew by 10,000 recipients.

• Following a dip during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021), the numbers rebounded, with 12,010 green cards issued in 2022 and 11,930 in 2023.

• U.S. citizenship for Nepalis surged from 20,926 in 2014 to approximately 87,000 in 2024, a 314% increase over a decade.

Future Projections:

• At the current rate, there will be at least 250,000 Nepali green card holders in the next US census (2030).

🇺🇸 Foreign born US residents grow: The share of people born outside the United States increased in 2023 to 14.3% from 13.9% in 2022, according to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau's annual American Community Survey, which tracks commuting times, internet access, family life, income, education levels and others.

🇳🇵4,000 Nepalis Deported in 4 years: More than 4,000 Nepalis have been deported from various countries over the past four years. Reasons include visa expiration, immigration law violations, and lack of legal protections. While the U.S. saw stable deportation numbers (103 total), countries like UAE and Saudi Arabia had the highest rates.

Yo hafta lai etikai, aba next time bhetaula ✌️

We thrive on feedback

Please share some so we can improve this newsletter together.

— Atulya