CAA applicants must declare passport status, surrender foreign passports: MHA
The Ministry of Home Affairs has amended the Citizenship Rules for applicants under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), requiring them to declare their passport status. This change comes as the BJP gains power in West Bengal, where many potential beneficiaries reside. Applicants must now surrender any foreign passports and provide specific documentation to support their citizenship claims.
- ▪Applicants must submit an affidavit declaring their passport status from Pakistan, Afghanistan, or Bangladesh.
- ▪The amendment requires the surrender of foreign passports within 15 days of citizenship approval.
- ▪The CAA facilitates citizenship for six non-Muslim communities who entered India before December 31, 2014.
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Applicants seeking citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019, will have to submit an affidavit declaring whether they hold a valid or an expired passport from Pakistan, Afghanistan or Bangladesh, according to an amendment to Citizenship Rules notified by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Monday (May 18, 2026).The move comes days after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power for the first time in West Bengal, where a large number of the Matua community, the intended beneficiaries of CAA legislation reside. Citizenship not a given for CAA applicants: Supreme CourtMost of the Matuas, who migrated from neighbouring Bangladesh during different time-periods do not have sufficient documents to apply for citizenship under the CAA.
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