ChennaiChief minister MK Stalin on Sunday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking his intervention in providing the legal status of registered Sri Lankan Tamil nationals sheltered in India up to January 9, 2015, and urged him to rescind earlier instructions that barred consideration of citizenship applications from Tamils from the island nation on humanitarian grounds.
He urged the Union government to issue an executive clarification waiving passport and visa requirements for either citizenship or long-term visa applications, based on verified identity documentation issued by the Tamil Nadu government and to delegate appropriate powers to designated district-level authorities for streamlined processing.
“These individuals have lived in India with dignity, discipline and deep cultural affinity for more than four decades,” Stalin said in his letter. “Their presence has been supported and regulated in coordination with the Union Government. The continued characterization of their status as irregular does not reflect the humanitarian context of their entry nor the State-sanctioned nature of their stay.”
This is the second time in two months that Stalin has raised the issue of Lankan Tamils. Earlier in January, Stalin wrote to PM Modi to protect Tamils in the island nation amid the ongoing constitutional reforms in Sri Lanka.
Stalin’s letter was based on the recommendations of an advisory committee constituted by the DMK-led state government under the chairmanship of the minister for non- resident Tamils. The committee undertook a detailed study of the status of these Sri Lankan Tamils. The demographic assessment indicated that several categories of Sri Lankan Tamils are eligible for regularisation under existing legal frameworks — including those born in India prior to 30 June 1987, individuals born to one Indian parent, spouses of Indian citizens, Persons of Indian Origin with lineage documentation, and those otherwise eligible for Long-Term Visas.
{{/usCountry}}Stalin’s letter was based on the recommendations of an advisory committee constituted by the DMK-led state government under the chairmanship of the minister for non- resident Tamils. The committee undertook a detailed study of the status of these Sri Lankan Tamils. The demographic assessment indicated that several categories of Sri Lankan Tamils are eligible for regularisation under existing legal frameworks — including those born in India prior to 30 June 1987, individuals born to one Indian parent, spouses of Indian citizens, Persons of Indian Origin with lineage documentation, and those otherwise eligible for Long-Term Visas.
{{/usCountry}}“I wish to state that the 2003 amendment to the Citizenship Act, which introduced the category of ‘illegal migrant’, has had the unintended consequence of retrospectively affecting those who entered India under extraordinary humanitarian circumstances and with the tacit approval of the Union government,” Stalin said.
Administrative instructions issued in 1986 have constrained the acceptance of citizenship applications but recent policy developments — particularly the Immigration and Foreigners (Exemption) Order, 2025 — signal a constructive and humanitarian approach, the chief minister said. “A formal clarification that registered Sri Lankan Tamil nationals sheltered up to 9 January 2015 shall not be treated as “illegal migrants” would provide much-needed legal certainty,” Stalin continued.
Nearly 89,000 Sri Lankan Tamils are living in Tamil Nadu for four decades and 40% of them were born in India. “While the State has fulfilled its humanitarian responsibilities with commitment and compassion, these individuals remain in a state of prolonged legal uncertainty,” Stalin said. “Despite their decades-long residence and integration into the social fabric, many continue to lack access to durable legal solutions such as citizenship or long-term visa status.”