Govt. plans foreigners’ registration offices in all State capitals by 2027

Why in news?

MHA plans Foreigners Regional Registration Offices in all State capitals by 2027; FRRO count has risen to 20.

UPSC Relevance

Prelims – FRRO, Bureau of Immigration, Immigration and Foreigners Act 2025, laws repealed, e-FRRO, Protected and Restricted Area Permits, Inner Line Permit, OCI, rights of foreigners under the Constitution.

Mains – GS2: Government policies and interventions. 

GS3: Internal security, border management, security challenges from illegal migration.

What is an FRRO?

• Meaning – Foreigners Regional Registration Office – the primary agency for registration, visa extension, visa conversion, exit permits and stay-related services for foreigners in India.
• Parent body – Works under the Bureau of Immigration (BoI), Ministry of Home Affairs. The BoI was set up in 1971 and also manages immigration at airports, seaports and land check posts.
• District level – Where there is no FRRO, the Superintendent of Police of the district works as the Foreigners Registration Officer (FRO).
• Who must register – Generally, foreigners coming on long-term visas (more than 180 days), such as student, employment, research and medical visas, must register within 14 days of arrival. Some categories are exempt.
• e-FRRO – An online, faceless system where most services can be availed without visiting the office. The certificate is sent by e-mail.

New FRROs 

• Target – An FRRO in every State capital by 2027, on the direction of the Union Home Minister.
• Total now – 20 FRROs: Ahmedabad, Amravati, Amritsar, Aizawl, Agartala, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Calicut, Chennai, Cochin, Chandigarh, Delhi, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Kohima, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram.
• States still without one – Bihar, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Meghalaya.
• Reason – More foreigners are coming for tourism, medical treatment and education. Local offices make visa extension, conversion and compliance easier, and improve Centre-State coordination.

Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025

• Timeline – Passed by Parliament in April 2025; came into force on September 1, 2025, along with the Immigration and Foreigners Rules and Order, 2025.
• Aim – One law for the entry, stay, movement and exit of foreigners, replacing old and overlapping colonial-era laws.

Four laws repealed

Key provisions

• Bureau of Immigration – Gets statutory backing under the Act.
• Denial of entry – An immigration officer can refuse entry to a foreigner on grounds of national security, sovereignty and integrity, relations with a foreign country or public health. The decision of the officer is final.
• Mandatory reporting – Hotels, universities and educational institutions, hospitals and nursing homes must report information about foreigners staying or admitted with them.
• Carriers’ duty – Airlines and ships must share passenger and crew information in advance and must not carry passengers without valid documents.
• Burden of proof – Lies on the person to prove that he or she is not a foreigner. This principle continues from the Foreigners Act, 1946.
• Control over places – The Centre can control places frequented by foreigners and can restrict the movement of foreigners.
• Foreigners Tribunals – Continue to decide whether a person is a foreigner, mainly in Assam.

Penalties

• Concerns raised – Wide powers to immigration officers with no appeal against their decisions, reporting duties on institutions, and the burden of proof on the individual.

Significance of the expansion

• Ease of access – Foreigners in States like Mizoram or Andhra Pradesh no longer need to deal with offices in Kolkata or Hyderabad.
• Tourism, health and education – Supports schemes like ‘Heal in India’ and ‘Study in India’.
• Security – Better tracking of overstay, illegal migration and visa misuse, especially in border States of the Northeast.
• Federal coordination – Closer working between the Centre and State police in enforcing the 2025 Act.

Practice MCQ

Q1. Which of the following laws were repealed by the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025?

1. Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920

2. Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939

3. Citizenship Act, 1955

4. Immigration (Carriers’ Liability) Act, 2000

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1, 2 and 3 only

(b) 1, 2 and 4 only

(c) 2, 3 and 4 only

(d) 1, 3 and 4 only

Answer: (b)

Explanation: The Act repealed four laws – the three listed above and the Foreigners Act, 1946. The Citizenship Act, 1955 continues and deals with acquiring and losing Indian citizenship.

Q2. Consider the following statements:

1. The Inner Line Permit is issued to Indian citizens under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873.

2. The Protected Area Permit regime was reimposed in Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland in 2024.

3. A foreigner lawfully staying in India can claim the right to reside and settle in any part of India under Article 19(1)(e).

How many of the above statements are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

Answer: (b)

Explanation: Statement 3 is incorrect. Article 19 is available only to citizens. In Louis De Raedt (1991), the Supreme Court held that foreigners have no right to reside and settle in India.

Mains Practice Question

Q. Discuss the key provisions of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025. How far does it balance national security with the need to make India an attractive destination for tourism, education and medical care? (10 marks, 150 words)

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