CAA cut-off date extended, Centre eases stay norms for minority refugees from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan

The Union Home Ministry has announced that Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan who entered India till December 31, 2024, will be allowed to stay in the country even without valid passports or other travel documents.

The order, issued under the recently implemented Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, exempts these groups from the requirement of possessing valid travel papers. The decision is expected to bring respite to thousands of refugees, particularly Hindus from Pakistan, who entered India after 2014 and have been facing uncertainty regarding their legal status.

The move comes in continuation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), which came into force last year. Under the CAA, members of the identified minority communities who migrated to India on or before December 31, 2014, are eligible for Indian citizenship. The latest order ensures that those who arrived later, up to the end of 2024, are not penalized for lacking or holding expired travel documents.

According to the Home Ministry directive, any individual from the listed communities “who was compelled to seek shelter in India due to religious persecution or fear of religious persecution” will be exempted from penal provisions related to immigration violations, regardless of whether their documents were valid, invalid, or expired at the time of entry.