New Delhi: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) officially notified the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) on Monday. It paves the way for fast-tracking citizenship to undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. 


Under the provisions of the CAA, Indian citizenship will be granted to six minority communities - Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, and Parsis - who arrived in India before December 31, 2014, from these three neighboring countries.














The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) released a document outlining the amended rules along with the forms that applicants seeking citizenship will need to complete.


























As per the document, application for the grant of citizenship by registration or naturalisation shall not be entertained unless - 1. The applicant is of Indian origin, 2. The person is married to a citizen of India, 3. The person is a minor child of a person who is a citizen of India, 4. The person's parents are registered as citizens of India, 5. The person or either of his parents was a citizen of Independent India and 6. The person is registered as an Overseas Citizen of India Cardholder.



In the form, applicants are required to provide their father's and mother's names, details of their residential address over the past nine years, the date of entry into India, and information regarding their belonging to which minority community, among other details.




Documents Required With Application


The new rules suggest that those applying for Indian citizenship will have to submit an affidavit verifying the correctness of the statements made in the application along with an affidavit from an Indian citizen testifying the character of the applicant. 


The applicant must have adequate knowledge of one of the languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.


The person should also carry a declaration that his country's citizenship shall be renounced irrevocably in the event of his application being approved and that he shall not raise any claim on it in the future.














Procedure As Per CAA Rules


1. An application for registration or naturalisation under section 6B shall be submitted by the applicant in electronic form to the Empowered Committee through the District Level Committee as may be notified by the Central government.


2. On submission of the application, an acknowledgment in Form IX shall be generated electronically.


2. The District Level Committee headed by Designated Officer, as may be specified, shall verify the documents submitted by the applicant along with the application. 


3. The Designated Officer shall administer to the applicant the oath of allegiance as specified in the Second Schedule to the Citizenship Act, 1955 (57 of 1955) and thereafter, sign the oath of allegiance and forward the same in electronic form along with confirmation regarding verification of documents to the Empowered Committee.


4. In case an applicant fails to appear in person to subscribe the application and take oath of allegiance despite giving reasonable opportunities, the District-Level Committee shall forward such application to the Empowered Committee for consideration of refusal.”.



5. The Empowered Committee referred to in rule 11A may scrutinise the application for grant of citizenship by registration or naturalisation submitted by an applicant under section 6B to ensure that the application is complete in all respects and that the applicant satisfies all the conditions laid down in section 6B.


6. On being satisfied after making such an inquiry as it considers necessary for ascertaining the suitability of the applicant that he is a fit and proper person to be registered or naturalised, as the case may be, the Empowered Committee may grant him the citizenship of India.”