Center announces changes to immigration and alien rules, 2025: What’s new? | Today’s news
Foreigners coming to India on a visa for 180 days or less will now have to register “at any time before the expiry of the said period of 180 days” if they want to stay beyond the visa period, according to changes in the Immigration and Foreigners Rules, 2025 notified by the Union Home Ministry.
The new provision, announced on June 1, replaced the previous rule which required registration “within fourteen days after the expiry of one hundred and eighty days of arrival in India”.
“… Immigration and Foreigners Rules, 2025 (hereinafter referred to as the Rules), in rule 12, “” (a) in sub-rule (1), “” (i) in the third proviso, for the words “within fourteen days after the expiry of one hundred and eighty days from his arrival in India,” the words “at any time before the expiry of one hundred days the notice shall be published in hundreds and the expiry of the period” Gazette said as reported by news agency PTI.
Foreigners holding a visa for more than 180 days with a stipulation that “each stay shall not exceed 180 days” and who wish to stay in India beyond that period on any single occasion or in the aggregate in a calendar year must register “at any time before the expiry of 180 days”. The new rule has now made it clear that such registration will now be granted “only in urgent cases”.
The new rules also provide some relief for children born to parents where one or both parents are foreigners.
The previous rules stipulated that upon the birth of a child, parents in such cases had to electronically notify the registration officer within 30 days to avail visa services, including the granting of a new visa and exit permit on a designated online portal or mobile application.
According to the notification, this sub-rule will not apply in cases where one of the parents is an Indian citizen and such parent wishes to retain the Indian citizenship of the child. However, it says that if the child acquires citizenship of a foreign country at a later stage in India, either parent shall notify their status to the Registrar within thirty days of the child’s acquisition of citizenship of a foreign country.
The notice also revises provisions regarding reporting requirements and administrative procedures for any hospital, nursing home or any other healthcare facility providing medical, accommodation or sleeping facilities on its premises.
