Eligibility for Long Term Visa for Sri Lankan Tamil Refugees

(Mains, General Studies Paper- 2: India and its Neighbourhood Relations)

Reference

The Union Home Ministry has clarified that Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in India are not eligible for Long Term Visa (LTV).

During the Sri Lankan Civil War (1983–2009), ethnic violence between the Sinhalese-dominated government and the LTTE led to a large influx of refugees into India.
About 60,000 refugees live in camps in Tamil Nadu and many other camps outside.
India has provided humanitarian assistance to these refugees but has refrained from granting them refugee status under international law.

Long-term visas are granted by India to minorities (Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Parsis, Buddhists, Jains) from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh who came to India due to religious persecution.
Sri Lankan Tamils do not fall in this category as their migration is linked to civil war and ethnic conflict rather than religious persecution.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) also excludes them.
Long-term visas required for citizenship are issued for a period of one to five years.

Although Sri Lankan Tamils are not eligible to apply for long term visa (LTV), foreign nationals can apply for Indian citizenship under the Citizenship Act, 1955.
According to a Home Ministry letter of 1986, no Sri Lankan refugee who came to India on or after July 1983 should be citizened/registered under the provisions of the Citizenship Act, 1955 and the Citizenship Rules, 1956.
- These instructions are still in force.

Sri Lankan Tamils are living as ‘refugees’ under state-run welfare schemes without Indian citizenship.
This raises concerns regarding human rights, integration and rehabilitation.
The community exerts pressure on the Tamil Nadu government which has sought a permanent solution for them.