Citizenship Under The Citizenship Act, 1955:
Migrants belonging to six non-Muslim minority communities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh who came to India on long term visa (LTV) before 2014 are eligible to apply online for citizenship under the Citizenship Act, 1955 from any part of the country, Home Ministry said.
- The six communities are Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, and Parsis.
- Citizenship is a Home Ministry subject but it can delegate powers to States for a specific objectives.
Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA)
- The official asserted that this particular awareness drive was not related to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) that is intended to benefit undocumented (illegal migrants) from the six persecuted communities who entered India before December 31, 2014.
- The CAA is yet to come into force as the rules that govern the law have not been notified by the Ministry yet.
Long term visa (LTV)
- For foreigners of non-Indian origin, a longer-term visa is classed as one that permits the holder to stay in India for longer than 180 days (six months) continuously.
- The main visas that provide this are the Employment, Entry, and Student visas.
