14.11.14

Citizenship norms for Pak, Afghan minorities eased

Nationals of Pakistan and Afghanistan belonging to the minority community who have sought refuge in India fearing religious persecution back home can now apply for Indian citizenship manually . The government has relaxed the norm mandating online submission of applications in view of the difficulties faced by such applicants who had entered India prior to 31.12.2009.
The eligible applicants, mostly Hindus from Pakistan and Afghanistan, can now submit their applications offline with their passports.However, the long term visa (LTV) of the applicant should be valid at the time of submitting citizenship application at the office of the district magistrate collector deputy commissioner. An affidavit filed before the authority prescribed under Rule 38 of the Citizenship Rules 2009 will be considered in lieu of renunciation certificate.
Children of minority community nationals of Pakistan and Afghanistan who entered India on the basis of their parents' passport can apply without passport for grant of Indian citizenship, after regularization of their stay in India. This rule will also be valid for such children born in India.
These children will be required to register with the Foreigners Registration Office (FRO) of the district concerned for regularization.
Singh, who intervened to approve the above guidelines, hoped that the grievances of these applicants would be suitably addressed.

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