New Delhi– The government has issued fresh rules under the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, making it mandatory to record biometric data of all foreigners entering India. Until now, the practice was limited to select visa categories. The rules, notified on September 1, also require educational institutions to report the admission and semester-wise performance of foreign students to the Bureau of Immigration (BOI).
The BOI, which now has legal powers to investigate immigration fraud, will coordinate with state governments to identify, deport, or restrict the movement of foreigners and maintain a central immigration database. Hotels, universities, hospitals, and nursing homes must also report details of foreigners to track overstaying individuals.
Civil authorities have been empowered to shut down clubs, resorts, or other premises frequented by illegal migrants, foreigners with criminal records, or those linked to unlawful associations. Airlines and sea carriers must submit crew and passenger details to the BOI within 15 minutes of departure.
The Act replaces older laws, including the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920, and the Foreigners Act, 1946. While tightening security protocols, it also provides exemptions for certain groups. These include Indian military personnel and their families traveling on government duty, citizens of Nepal and Bhutan entering India through land routes, Tibetan refugees who arrived after 1959, minority communities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan who fled religious persecution before December 31, 2024, and registered Sri Lankan Tamil refugees. Diplomats, visa-on-arrival travelers, and foreign naval personnel on goodwill visits are also covered under exemptions.
The Immigration and Foreigners Act, passed by Parliament in April, aims to strengthen India’s immigration system by merging four older legislations into a unified framework while ensuring security, transparency, and humanitarian provisions.
