Govt extends CAA cut-off; details here
The latest relaxation goes a step further, offering protection to those who entered between 2015 and 2024, ensuring they will not face penalties
Members of minority communities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan — including Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians — who entered India on or before December 31, 2024, to escape religious persecution, will now be allowed to remain in the country even without valid passports or other travel documents, the Union Home Ministry has announced.
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CAA cut-off extended
Under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), which came into effect last year, such minorities who arrived in India on or before December 31, 2014, will be granted Indian citizenship.
The latest relaxation goes a step further, offering protection to those who entered between 2015 and 2024, ensuring they will not face penalties for lacking documents or holding expired ones.
The significant order, issued under the newly enforced Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, is expected to bring relief to a large number of people, particularly Hindus from Pakistan who crossed into India after 2014 and feared deportation.
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Relief for persecuted minorities
According to the Home Ministry’s order, “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, or with documents whose validity has since expired, will be exempt from the requirement of possessing a valid passport and visa.”
The CAA had already paved the way for granting Indian citizenship to those who arrived up to the 2014 cut-off date. By extending protections to those who arrived later, up until 2024, the government has reinforced its commitment to provide legal shelter and security to minorities facing persecution in these neighbouring countries.
This relaxation follows years of appeals from displaced persons’ associations.
(With Agency inputs)