Centre Empowers Gujarat, Border-State Collectors to Process CAA Citizenship Applications

New Delhi: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has authorised district collectors in several border states and Union Territories to receive, scrutinise and decide citizenship applications filed by eligible religious minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019.

The move covers collectors in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, West Bengal, Assam (excluding tribal areas), Tripura (excluding tribal areas), Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

Until now, citizenship applications under the CAA from Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Jain, Buddhist and Parsi applicants from the three neighbouring countries were processed and approved by empowered committees.

Under the Citizenship (Third Amendment) Rules, 2026, a new sub-rule has been added to Rule 11A. The amended provision allows eligible applicants to submit their citizenship applications to the concerned collector in the specified states and receive an electronically generated acknowledgment in Form IX.

The collector will be responsible for verifying the documents submitted with the application and conducting any inquiry considered necessary to assess the applicant’s eligibility and suitability. The collector will also administer the oath of allegiance and determine whether the applicant meets the requirements under Section 6B of the Citizenship Act.

Once satisfied that the applicant meets the eligibility criteria, the collector can register or naturalise the applicant and grant Indian citizenship, according to the notification.

Sources said empowered committees at the district level have been relatively slow in processing CAA-related citizenship applications. The inclusion of collectors as competent authorities is expected to streamline the process and reduce delays.

The notification also specifies that applicants must appear in person to subscribe to the application and take the oath of allegiance. If an applicant fails to appear despite being given reasonable opportunities, the collector can reject the application. DeshGujarat