The Union Home Ministry has made a major policy announcement, much to the relief of thousands of persecuted minorities. According to a new order, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan who entered India on or before December 31, 2024, shall be exempted from the condition of holding a valid passport or other documents to travel.
CAA Eligibility Extended To Post-2014 Arrivals
The fresh directive, in effect, expanded the scope of eligibility for Indian citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). The initial CAA, introduced a year ago, had put the deadline at December 31, 2014. The fresh notification widens the ambit of the law so that many of those who have come to India in the last decade can seek citizenship, a decision that comes after years of representations by refugee communities.
A New Legal Framework For Foreigners
This notable order has been made under the recently enacted Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025. This act, which was effective from September 1, integrates and supersedes four earlier acts. Although the new act tends to strengthen the laws regarding foreigners overall, this particular order includes a humanitarian exception, allowing those who escaped religious persecution and potentially entered without documentation to be given legal protection. The step is likely to bring a big relief to residents who had been residing in India without any specific legal status.
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