Many countries of the world, including the US and Britain, are taking strict steps to prevent infiltration. Now India is also going to take big steps in this direction. Those entering without valid passport or visa in India will be punished strictly. For this, the Narendra Modi government of the Center is bringing a bill in Parliament.
According to the report, any foreign citizen who enter India without a valid passport or visa can now have to bear a maximum of five years of jail and a fine of up to Rs 5 lakh. If a person enters India with a fake passport or travel documents, he can be sentenced to at least two years and maximum seven years, while the fine can range from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. This provision is part of the ‘Immigration and Foreign Bill, 2025’, which is set to be introduced in the Lok Sabha in this session. The purpose of this bill is to make a comprehensive law by abolishing four old laws.
These are these four old laws
- Foreign Act, 1946
- Passport (Admission to India) Act, 1920
- Registration of foreign nationals act, 1939
- Immigration (carrier liability), 2000
What else will be special in the new bill?
Currently, there is a provision of a maximum sentence of five years and fine for entering India without a valid document, while entering a fake passport can cause a maximum sentence of eight years and a fine of up to Rs 50,000.
New strict arrangements
Visa violation: If a foreigner lives in India for longer than his visa period, or enters the restricted areas, he can be jail up to three years or fine of up to Rs 3 lakh, or both. Responsibility of educational and medical institutions: All universities, higher educational institutions, hospitals and medical institutions will have to share the information of foreign nationals with the registration officer.
Responsibility of the Parivar (Carrear): If an airplane, ship or other transport means a foreigner is brought without valid documents, it can be fined up to Rs 5 lakh. In case of non -payment of fine, that transport means can also be confiscated. That is, if a foreign person is transported here in case of not having a valid passport or travel document/visa, then the carrier bringing him will be held responsible.
Government will get additional powers
The new bill empowers the Central Government to stop the entry of any foreign national or a particular group of persons. The government can force a foreign national to leave India, not enter a particular area, give its picture and biometric details. The bill is considered a major step to strengthen India’s internal security and immigration process. Experts believe that this will tighten the illegal infiltration and use of fake documents.