National/Alive News: The Central Government has announced changes to India’s immigration rules, affecting people from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The changes cover six non-Muslim communities: Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians.
The Ministry of Home Affairs issued a notification on Thursday introducing amendments to the immigration rules. The notification also provides passport renewal exemptions to certain Pakistani nationals and people of Indian origin who acquired Malaysian or Singaporean citizenship.
Five Major Changes in Immigration Rules
1. Relief for Certain Pakistani Nationals: Pakistani nationals who entered India on or before December 31, 2009, and intend to settle permanently may be exempted from passport renewal if they cannot renew their documents due to the absence of a Pakistani identity card (CNIC).
2. Relief for Indian-Origin People: Certain people of Indian origin who acquired Malaysian or Singaporean citizenship and returned to India before December 31, 2009, will also get relief from passport renewal requirements.
3. India-Nepal-Bhutan Travel Rules: Citizens of India, Nepal and Bhutan can travel directly between these countries by land or air using approved identity documents. However, additional passport and visa requirements apply when travelling through certain third countries.
4. Exemptions for Sri Lankan Tamils and Tibetans: Existing exemptions for registered Sri Lankan Tamil refugees and certain Tibetan nationals have been retained.
5. Other Exemptions: The amended rules also cover specified categories of military personnel and crew members of foreign military vessels.
Difference Between CAA and Immigration Rules
The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019, provides eligible people from six non-Muslim communities in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan a route to apply for Indian citizenship.
The Immigration Order deals with passport, visa and travel-document requirements. It does not automatically grant Indian citizenship.
The changes aim to clarify immigration requirements and provide relief to certain categories of foreign nationals.
