NEW DELHI: As many as 25,782 immigrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh belonging to minority communities there, were granted long-term visas between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2019, the home ministry informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. In a written reply to a question, minister of state for home Nityanand Rai said the government had extended various facilities to such persons living in India on LTV "These include grant of LTV for a period of 5 years at a time, allowing children of such LTV holders to take admission in schools, colleges, universities, technical/professional institutions etc. without any specific permission from the state government/UT administration, permitting them to engage in employment in private sector, purchase of dwelling unit and accommodation for carrying out self employment, Re-entry (Return Visa)to go to their native country/ third country, allowing free movements within the state/UT, reduction of penalty on non-extension of LTV on time, opening of bank accounts, issuance of driving license, PAN card and Aadhaar number etc," he noted.In reply to another question, Rai informed the House that a total 28,786 nationals of Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan had been granted long term visas after their arrival on four grounds: persecution/fear of persecution for belonging to minority communities in the three countries Bangladeshi/Pakistani/Afghanistan women married to Indian nationals and staying in India, Indian origin women married to nationals of the three countries returning to India due to widowhood/divorce, and cases involving extreme compassion.The MoS added that there was no specific provision for grant of such LTV to minorities from Sri Lanka The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, Rai stated, now seeks to facilitate grant of citizenship to migrants belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan who have entered India on or before December 31, 2014, and who have been exempted by the Central government from provisions of Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920 and Foreigners Act, 1946.