Govt Extends CAA Cut-Off Dates For Persecuted Minorities Entering India by 2024 Can Stay

The Union Home Ministry has issued a significant order providing relief to persecuted minorities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, allowing those who entered India up to December 31, 2024, to stay in the country without a valid passport or other travel documents. This move effectively extends a protective umbrella to a large number of people who arrived after the cut-off date stipulated in the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).

According to the new order, issued under the recently implemented Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian communities who sought shelter in India due to religious persecution will be exempted from rules requiring a valid passport and visa. This applies to individuals who entered India on or before December 31, 2024, regardless of whether they arrived without documents or with documents that have since expired.

This development is distinct from the CAA, which came into force last year and provides a pathway to Indian citizenship for these same minority groups, but only if they had arrived in India on or before December 31, 2014. The latest directive addresses the legal limbo faced by those who fled to India after that date. It offers immediate relief from potential deportation or legal action under immigration laws, a concern that has particularly affected many Hindu families from Pakistan who crossed the border in recent years.

The Home Ministry’s notification specifies that the exemption applies to any person “belonging to a minority community in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan… who were compelled to seek shelter in India due to religious persecution or fear of religious persecution.” While this order grants the right to legally reside in the country, it does not confer citizenship, which remains governed by the 2014 cut-off date under the CAA.