The Union Home Ministry has issued an order allowing members of minority communities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan, who entered India up to December 31, 2024, to remain in the country even without valid passports or travel documents.

The order, dated September 2, covers Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians who fled religious persecution or the fear of it, and entered India without documents or with expired ones.

According to Hindustan Times, the directive is part of a series of measures issued under the newly enacted Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, which came into effect on September 1.

The move expands the relief provided earlier under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which was notified last year.

The CAA, however, was limited to those who had arrived in India on or before December 31, 2014, to be considered for citizenship. While the new order extends the cut-off date for stay until December 2024, it does not grant citizenship.

“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 be covered under the order, the ministry said.

The fresh directive is expected to provide relief to thousands, particularly Hindus from Pakistan who entered India after 2014 and had been uncertain about their legal status.

The CAA, which excludes Muslims from its ambit, had sparked widespread protests across India last year over concerns that, combined with the National Register of Citizens (NRC), it could lead to the disenfranchisement of many Indian Muslims.