The Union Home Ministry has issued a new order that will bring relief to minorities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. On Tuesday, the ministry said that Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians who entered India till December 31, 2024, to escape religious persecution can stay in the country even without a passport or other travel documents.

This order has been issued under the newly passed Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, which came into effect on Monday.

What was announced?

The ministry’s order said, “People 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 for fear of religious persecution and entered the country on or before December 31, 2024, without valid documents or with documents that have expired” will now be allowed to stay.

This move comes as a big relief for many people, especially Hindus from Pakistan, who crossed over to India after 2014 and were uncertain about their future.

Earlier, the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which came into effect last year, gave citizenship rights only to those who came to India before December 31, 2014. The new order, however, allows people who entered till December 2024 to live in India without passports. But it is important to note that this does not mean they will automatically get Indian citizenship.

The order also explains rules for other groups. Citizens of Nepal and Bhutan, as well as Indians entering India by land or air from these two countries, will not be required to carry a passport or visa, just like before.

Similarly, members of the Indian naval, military or air forces, and their family members, will also not need a passport or visa when they enter or leave India on official duty using government transport.

The Home Ministry further added that the requirement of passports and visas will not apply if an Indian citizen enters India from Nepal or Bhutan. But this rule will not be valid if the entry is from China, Pakistan, Macau or Hong Kong.

This order, therefore, extends protection to thousands of minority families who entered India in recent years fearing religious violence, while also clarifying the travel rules for neighbouring countries.

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