Immigrants from minority community There are reports that persons belonging to minority communities from Bangladesh and Pakistan have migrated to India due to religious persecution or fear of religious persecution. No survey has been conducted to ascertain the number of migrants living in various parts of the country. India is not a signatory to the 1951 United Nations convention on the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol thereof. There is no national law dealing with matters connected with refugees. Therefore, the question of awarding refugee status to such persons does not arise. However, there is a provision for grant of Long Term Visa (LTV) under various instructions issued by the Government from time to time. Grant of citizenship is governed by the provisions in the Citizenship Act, 1955 and rules framed thereunder. This was stated by the Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Kiren Rijiju in a written reply to question by Shri Sunil Kumar Singh in the Lok Sabha today.
