- The Citizenship (Amendment) Act will make illegal immigrants facing religious persecution in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan eligible for Indian citizenship. As per the Act, any person belonging to the Hindu Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi or Christian faith will not be considered an illegal immigrant if the person entered Indian on or before December 31, 2014.
- Also that person must have resided in India for a period of at least five years to be eligible for Indian citizenship.
- It is to be noted that the Act does not include Muslims.
- The Citizenship Act 1955, India’s previous citizenship law, did not consider religious affiliation to be a criterion for eligibility.
An illegal immigrant is defined as a person who either entered the country without proper documents, or stayed on beyond the permitted time.
Picture Credit : Google