In this Budget session of Parliament, the ruling BJP is preparing to introduce a new law focused on one of its key election issues—illegal immigration. On Thursday morning, the government released a list of priority bills, which includes a new law called The Immigration and Foreigners Bill 2025.

This bill is among 16 key legislations the government aims to pass, including the Wakf Amendment Bill 2024, which deals with the regulation of wakf properties in India.

Although the details of the Immigration and Foreigners Bill are not yet clear, it seems to focus on controlling the entry of immigrants into India. It could become the main law on this subject, replacing older laws like The Foreigners Act 1946, The Passport Entry into India Act 1920, and The Registration of Foreigners Act 1939.

However, even though the bill is listed for discussion, it can only be taken up if the Union Cabinet gives its approval. So far, the Cabinet has not yet reviewed or approved this draft law.

Illegal immigration from Bangladesh has been a major election issue for the BJP, particularly in eastern states like West Bengal and Jharkhand, where non-BJP governments are in power.

Last year, despite its promise to remove illegal immigrants from Jharkhand, the BJP lost the state elections to the INDIA bloc, led by JMM chief Hemant Soren.

In Delhi, the BJP has also been pushing to remove alleged “illegal Rohingyas” from voter lists. The AAP had earlier questioned these changes before the Election Commission, which later stated that no unfair alterations had been made.

Overall, the government has listed 16 bills for discussion in the Budget session.

Union Budget 2025: Government to discuss Waqf Amendment Bill 

The government has included the Waqf (Amendment) Bill and three new draft laws for discussion in the Budget session of Parliament, starting Friday. A parliamentary committee reviewed the Waqf amendment bill on Thursday and submitted its report to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. This clears the way for the government to introduce changes to the bill, which was originally presented last year. Along with this, the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill was also introduced.

The government has also listed three new bills for discussion–

  1. The Protection of Interests in Aircraft Objects Bill
  2. Tribhuvan Sahkari University Bill
  3. Immigration and Foreigners Bill

Additionally, the government will present the Finance Bill, 2025, along with budget-related financial proposals. Ten other bills from previous sessions are still pending in Parliament.

The session will begin on Friday with the President’s address to both Houses. The Union Budget will be presented on February 1. The first part of the session will end on February 13, and the second part will resume on March 10, concluding on April 4.