New Delhi — In a major humanitarian move, the Indian government has announced that persecuted minorities from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh—including Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians—who entered India on or before December 31, 2024, will be allowed to remain in the country even without valid passports or travel documents.
The measure, unveiled through the new Immigration and Foreigners (Exemption) Order, 2025, protects individuals who fled religious persecution and entered India with expired or no documentation. While the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) of 2019 offers fast-track citizenship to such groups who arrived before the end of 2014, this new order does not grant citizenship—it instead offers short-term legal shelter.
Being placed under the latest order not only exempts individuals from deportation but also ensures they can live, exit, or re-enter India without being penalized for lacking travel documents. Nepali, Bhutanese citizens, and registered Tibetan refugees enjoy similar exemptions under separate provisions.
However, not everyone is welcoming the decision. In Assam, where undocumented immigration remains a sensitive and polarizing issue, protests erupted as residents expressed fears over demographic shifts and resource pressures. Political leaders in the state called for caution, warning that such protections might exacerbate already-strained local dynamics.
