Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019
Provisions and Controversy
The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) amended the Citizenship Act, 1955, creating an accelerated pathway to Indian citizenship for non-Muslim persecuted minorities — specifically Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians — from three neighbouring countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. To be eligible, individuals must have entered India on or before December 31, 2014, and must not reside in tribal areas covered by the Sixth Schedule (in Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura) or under Inner Line Permit (ILP) regimes (in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland). The Act reduces the residency period required for naturalization from 11 years to 5 years for these groups.
- Passed by Parliament: December 11, 2019 (Lok Sabha), December 12, 2019 (Rajya Sabha)
- Presidential assent: December 12, 2019
- Rules notified: March 11, 2024 — enabling actual applications
- Eligibility cutoff date: December 31, 2014 (date of entry into India)
- Excluded areas: Sixth Schedule tribal areas; Inner Line Permit zones
- Applications submitted digitally via:
indiancitizenshiponline.nic.in
● Tracked since March 02, 2026 · last seen August 24, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes