New Delhi, Sept. 4 -- Members of minority communities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan -- Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians -- who came to India till December 31, 2024, to escape religious persecution will be allowed to stay in the country without a passport or other travel documents, the Union Home Ministry said.

According to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), which came into force last year, members of these persecuted minorities who came to India on or before December 31, 2014, will be granted Indian citizenship.

The significant order, issued under the just-implemented Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, will come as a relief to a large number of people, especially Hindus from Pakistan, who crosse...