• The Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, was passed by Parliament during the Budget Session, and President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent on April 4, 2025.

• It was passed to simplify the laws for requirement of passports or other travel documents in respect of persons entering into and exiting from India and for regulating matters related to foreigners including requirement of visa and registration.

• The Act came into effect on September 1.

It is comprehensive legislation to regulate all matters relating to foreigners and immigration which were till now administered through four Acts:

i) The Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920.

ii) The Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939

iii) The Foreigners Act, 1946

iv) The Immigration (Carriers' Liability) Act, 2000. 

• All these four laws have been repealed. 

Key points of the new law:

• According to the new law, anyone found to be using a forged passport or visa for entering into India or staying in or exiting from the country will be punishable with a jail term of up to seven years and a fine to the extent of Rs 10 lakh.

• The Act also provides for mandatory reporting of information about foreigners by hotels, universities and other educational institutions, hospitals and nursing homes to enable tracking of overstaying foreigners.

• All international airlines and ships will also be required to submit at a port or place in India to a civil authority or immigration officer the passenger and crew manifest, the advance information of passengers and crew on board such aircraft, vessel or other mode of transport.

• Foreigners may be refused entry into or stay in India if they are convicted on charges of anti-national activities, espionage, rape and murder, terrorist acts, child trafficking or being a member of a banned organisation. Every state government and Union Territory administration will set up dedicated holding centres or detention camps for the purpose of restricting the movement of foreigners till they are deported.

• Members of minority communities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan — Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians — who came to India till December 31, 2024, to escape religious persecution will be allowed to stay in the country without passport or other travel documents.

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants.)