Foreigners may be refused entry into India or stay in the country if they are convicted of anti-national activities, espionage, rape and murder, terrorist acts, child trafficking or being a member of a banned organisation in their own countries, sources in the Union home ministry said on Tuesday.

Under the new Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, which has come into effect, all state governments and Union Territory administrations will be asked to set up dedicated holding centres or detention camps for restricting the movement of such foreigners till they are deported to their origin countries, said a ministry official.

The new law aims to tighten passport and visa rules and has also armed the Bureau of Immigration with enhanced powers to track, detain and deport illegal migrants.

According to the law, illegal immigrants apprehended within India will be restricted to holding centres or camps pending deportation.

The border-guarding forces or the Coast Guard will take steps to prevent illegal immigrants attempting to enter India by sending them back after capturing their biometric information and available demographic details on the designated portal of the central government.

“A foreigner may be refused entry into or stay in India on the following grounds, namely — if he is convicted on charges of anti-national activities, espionage, rape and murder, crime against humanity, terrorist and subversive activity, including arranging financial support or money-laundering or hawala for such activities,” the ministry official said.

“Besides, other cases including trafficking in narcotics and psychotropic substances, human trafficking including child trafficking, racketeering in fake travel documents and currency (including cryptocurrency), cyber crime, child abuse or found involved in such offences.”

Every foreigner applying for any category of visa, including registration as an Overseas Citizen of India cardholder, shall allow his or her biometric information to be taken by the authority issuing the visa or the authority granting the registration as an OCI cardholder before the grant of such visa or registration as an OCI cardholder.

The new law has also imposed restrictions on mountaineering expeditions as no foreigner or group of foreigners shall climb or attempt to climb any mountain peak in India without obtaining prior permission in writing from the central government and without specifying the route to be followed, the attachment of a liaison officer and the use of photographic and wireless communication equipment.

Foreigners shall also be required to obtain a permit to enter or stay in any protected or restricted area. However, anyone from Afghanistan, China, or Pakistan will not be allowed to visit such restricted areas, the ministry official said.

India’s restricted areas include the entire states of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim, parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan, among others.