Members of minority communities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan — Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians — who entered India till December 31, 2024, to escape religious persecution will now be allowed to stay in the country without possessing passports or other travel documents, the Union Home Ministry has announced.
The order has been issued under the just-implemented Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, and is expected to provide major relief to thousands of people, particularly Hindus from Pakistan, who crossed over after 2014 and were uncertain about their legal status in India.
Linked to CAA
According to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), which came into force last year, members of these persecuted minorities who came to India on or before December 31, 2014, are eligible to be granted Indian citizenship.
Expanding on this framework, the new order states: “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.
