Key Takeaways
- The Rajya Sabha passed the Immigration and Foreigners Bill, 2025, which aims to simplify and make the processes transparent related to entry, residence, and travel in India and regulate all matters concerning foreigners and immigration.
- The bill grants officials excessive powers, enables discrimination, and allows the government to arbitrarily deport foreigners.
- The bill poses a threat to India’s democratic system—while it currently targets foreigners, it could soon impact Indian citizens as well.
New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday passed the Immigration and Foreigners Bill, 2025 by voice vote, rejecting the amendments by the Opposition.
The Immigration and Foreigners Bill aims to simplify and make the processes transparent related to entry, residence, and travel in India and regulate all matters concerning foreigners and immigration. The bill grants officials excessive powers, enables discrimination, and allows the government to arbitrarily deport foreigners.
With this, the bill has received the approval of the Parliament. The Lok Sabha had already passed this bill.
Dissatisfied with the reply of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, the Opposition members walked out of the House.
Responding to the four-hour-long discussion on the Bill, Rai said that because the old law was weak and scattered, it had become necessary to make a new law by incorporating the related laws.
The Minister said the bill will strengthen the internal security and economy of the country and has been brought to lay a strong foundation for developing the country by the year 2047.
Dismissing the Opposition’s allegations of creating an atmosphere of fear in the country, he said that this bill has not been brought to create an atmosphere of fear in the country but to expel foreigners involved in anti-national activities and to ban their entry into the country. He said that the activities of every person coming into the country would be strictly monitored.
He said the bill has been brought in accordance with the country’s needs after three years of intense deliberation and it has made valid documents mandatory for those entering the country.
He said people coming to the country to promote research and development are welcome but those carrying out anti-national activities will not be allowed to stay in the country.
He said that is why information and monitoring of every person coming into the country has been made mandatory.
Earlier in the day, the Congress accused the Modi government of fostering fear and discriminating among individuals.
Initiating the discussion Abhishek Manu Singhvi argued that the bill would instill fear across the country and violate the fundamental principles of the Constitution. It grants officials excessive powers, enables discrimination, and allows the government to arbitrarily deport foreigners.
He stated that the bill grants unchecked authority to immigration officers, with no provision for appealing their decisions. He claimed that, these officers would have the power to prevent anyone from travelling abroad. He warned that the bill poses a threat to India’s democratic system—while it currently targets foreigners, it could soon impact Indian citizens as well.
