The Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday announced an extension for the cut-off date for entry into India for applying under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act till December 31, 2024.
Earlier, non-Muslim religious minorities, who faced persecution in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan entering before December 2014 were provided with the Indian citizenship.
"A person belonging to a minority community in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan -- Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians -- who were compelled to seek shelter in India due to religious persecution or fear of religious persecution and entered the country on or before December 31, 2024 without valid documents, including a passport or other travel documents, or with valid documents, including a passport or other travel documents, and the validity of such documents have expired" will be exempted from the rule of possessing a valid passport and visa, according to the order issued by the MHA.
Union Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar shared the notification dated September 1.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Act was passed by Parliament in December 2019. The then president of India, Ramnath Kovind, signed the bill, and it became a law aimed at providing Indian citizenship to non-Muslim migrants who faced religious persecution in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
The relief comes amid a long-standing appeal by associations of displaced persons. A refugee body representing Bangladesh had urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to extend the CAA cut-off date from 2014 to 2024, citing the continued influx of persecuted minorities across borders.
The Centre had implemented CAA on March 11 last year by notifying the rules. This was four years after the law was passed by Parliament to fast-track citizenship for undocumented non-Muslim migrants.
Earlier, non-Muslim religious minorities, who faced persecution in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan entering before December 2014 were provided with the Indian citizenship.
"A person belonging to a minority community in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan -- Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians -- who were compelled to seek shelter in India due to religious persecution or fear of religious persecution and entered the country on or before December 31, 2024 without valid documents, including a passport or other travel documents, or with valid documents, including a passport or other travel documents, and the validity of such documents have expired" will be exempted from the rule of possessing a valid passport and visa, according to the order issued by the MHA.
Union Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar shared the notification dated September 1.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Act was passed by Parliament in December 2019. The then president of India, Ramnath Kovind, signed the bill, and it became a law aimed at providing Indian citizenship to non-Muslim migrants who faced religious persecution in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
The relief comes amid a long-standing appeal by associations of displaced persons. A refugee body representing Bangladesh had urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to extend the CAA cut-off date from 2014 to 2024, citing the continued influx of persecuted minorities across borders.
The Centre had implemented CAA on March 11 last year by notifying the rules. This was four years after the law was passed by Parliament to fast-track citizenship for undocumented non-Muslim migrants.
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