India To Exempt Some Sri Lankan Tamil Refugees From Penal Provisions

While the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, which was enacted in April this year had made the entry and stay of foreigners without passport or valid documents punishable by a fine of Rs. 5 lakh or up to five years' imprisonment or both, the Sri Lankan Tamil refugees will not come under its ambit, reported The Hindu.

The exemption would mean that Sri Lankan Tamils registered with the government will not be treated as an undocumented migrants.

The Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025 repealed and replaced four laws that determine the provision regarding entry and stay of foreigners and immigration.

Prior to this, the MHA had issued an executive order on December 16, 2015 and decided to waive the visa fees and overstay penalty pertaining to Sri Lankan refugees who came prior to January 9, 2015 and who opt to voluntarily return to Sri Lanka

“The provisions of sub-sections (1), (2) and (3) of Section 3 (requirement of passport or other travel document or visa) of the 2025 Act to the extent of their stay in India and for the purposes of exiting India shall not apply to registered Sri Lankan Tamil nationals who have taken shelter in India up to the 9th January, 2015,” said the latest Immigration and Foreigners (Exemption) Order, 2025 notified in the official gazette on September 2.

In another order issued September 2, the Union home ministry has stated that members of minority communities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan including Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians who arrived in India till December 31, 2024 to avoid religious persecution will be allowed to stay in the country without a passport or other travel documents.

Notably, Muslims have been excluded from the list of religions mentioned in the order. (The Wire)

The post India to exempt some Sri Lankan Tamil refugees from penal provisions appeared first on Colombo Gazette .

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