India Allows Persecuted Minorities From Neighboring Countries to Stay Without Passports

Delhi, Sept 2025 : The Indian government has announced that members of minority communities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan who entered the country by December 31, 2024, to escape religious persecution, will be permitted to stay even if they lack valid passports or other travel documents.

According to an order issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, this exemption applies to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians who sought refuge in India due to religious persecution or fear of it. The order covers both individuals who entered without valid documents as well as those whose passports or visas have since expired.

“A person belonging to a minority community in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, or Pakistan—Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians—who was compelled to seek shelter in India due to religious persecution, and entered the country on or before December 31, 2024, without valid documents, or with documents whose validity has expired, will be exempted from the requirement of possessing a valid passport and visa,” the ministry stated.

The order was issued under the Immigration and Foreigners Act of 2025, which came into effect on September 1. Officials said the move is expected to bring relief to thousands of refugees who crossed into India after 2014 and have been living in uncertainty about their legal status.

This step builds on provisions of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), which came into force last year. Under the CAA, members of the same minority groups who entered India on or before December 31, 2014, are eligible for Indian citizenship.

By expanding protections to those who arrived more recently, the government aims to address the plight of religious minorities fleeing persecution in India’s immediate neighborhood.