Centre notifies Immigration and Foreigners (Amendment) rules; revamps process

New Delhi: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has notified the Immigration and Foreigners (Amendment) Rules, 2026, introducing significant changes to the registration process for foreigners, provisions relating to children with Indian parents, emergency registration cases, and the appeals mechanism under the Immigration and Foreigners Rules, 2025.

The amendment rules, notified through a Gazette notification dated June 1, 2026, have come into force with immediate effect.

One of the key changes pertains to the timeline for registration by foreigners staying in India. The government has amended Rule 12 to allow registration to be completed “any time before the expiry of the said period of one hundred and eighty days”, replacing the earlier provision that required registration “within fourteen days after the expiry of one hundred and eighty days of his arrival in India”.

The amendment also tightens norms for delayed registration. The notification states that late registration beyond the prescribed period will be permitted only under exceptional circumstances, inserting the condition that “such registration shall be granted only in emergent circumstances”.

The MHA has also introduced an important exemption concerning children who may have claims to both Indian and foreign citizenship. Under the amended rules, the registration requirement will not apply where either parent is an Indian citizen and wishes to retain the Indian citizenship of the child under Section 3 of the Citizenship Act, 1955.

The notification further provides that “if the child acquires citizenship of a foreign country while in India at a later stage, either of the parents shall intimate the position to the Registration Officer within 30 days of acquiring the citizenship of the foreign country by the child”.

In another amendment, the government corrected a provision under Rule 18 relating to reporting timelines, replacing the phrase “but beyond twenty-four hours” with “but not beyond twenty-four hours”.

The amendment has also revamped the appeals process available to owners or keepers aggrieved by directions issued by civil authorities under the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025. Appeals must now be filed before the Commissioner, Bureau of Immigration, within 30 days through the designated online portal.

The revised rules mandate that the Commissioner, after providing a reasonable opportunity of hearing, shall pass a reasoned order and “endeavour to complete the proceedings ordinarily within sixty days from the date of receipt of the appeal”.

The amendments have been issued under powers conferred by Section 30 of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, and are aimed at streamlining compliance procedures while strengthening regulatory oversight of foreign nationals residing in India.

IANS