The Union Home Ministry has said that members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who came to India from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan till December 31, 2024 to escape religious persecution will be allowed to stay in the country even without passport or other travel documents.
According to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) implemented last year, these persecuted minorities who came to India on or before 31 December 2014 will be given Indian citizenship.
This important order issued under the recently enacted Immigration and Foreigners (Citizens) Act, 2025 will provide relief to a large number of people, especially Hindus from Pakistan, who came to India after 2014 and were worried about their future.
According to news agency PTI, according to the order issued by the Home Ministry, “Minority communities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan – Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians, who were forced to take refuge in India due to religious persecution or fear of it and entered the country without valid documents on or before December 31, 2024, will be exempted from the rule of holding valid passport and visa.
What is CAA?
The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was passed by Parliament in 2019. This law provides for granting Indian citizenship to those religious minorities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh – such as Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Christians and Parsis, who have settled in India before 31 December 2014. Its purpose is to provide relief to those who face religious persecution in their native countries.
The Muslim community is not included under this law, and this law does not endanger the citizenship of any Indian. According to CAA, those who are in India without valid documents will be considered illegal immigrants, but the above eight religious minorities are exempted from this law.
The process of granting citizenship is under the control of the central government, and it is necessary to apply for it. CAA has amended the Citizenship Act of India, 1955 to implement this special provision. The government claims that this law provides safe haven to people affected by religious persecution, while many voices have also been raised against it, which consider it discriminatory.
The purpose of this law is to provide quick and easy Indian citizenship to those people who have been persecuted on religious grounds in their countries.
