DR.

RAM MANOHAR LOHIYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY

LUCKNOW

2020-2021

CITIZENSHIP AND EMIGRATION LAW

SYNOPSIS ON
CITIZENSHIP AMENDMENT ACT 2019 AND ITS EFFECT

Submitted by – Submitted to –

Shubham Yadav Mr. R K Yadav

B.A.LLB (Hon) Semester - IX Asst. Professor (Law)

Enrollment no. 160101146

Introduction

Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019. The Act seeks to amend the definition of illegal immigrant for
Hindu, Sikh, Parsi, Buddhist and Christian immigrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who
have lived in India without documentation. They will be granted fast track Indian citizenship in six years.
So far 12 years of residence has been the standard eligibility requirement for naturalisation.

The legislation applies to those who were “forced or compelled to seek shelter in India due to persecution
on the ground of religion”. It aims to protect such people from proceedings of illegal migration. The cut-
off date for citizenship is December 31, 2014 which means the applicant should have entered India on or
before that date. Indian citizenship, under present law, is given either to those born in India or if they have
resided in the country for a minimum of 11 years. The Bill also proposes to incorporate a sub-section (d)
to Section 7, providing for cancellation of Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) registration where the OCI
card-holder has violated any provision of the Citizenship Act or any other law in force.

Research question

1. What were the provisions which were amended in the Citizenship Amendment Act?
2. What will be the effect of this amendment to the act?