In a letter to the PM, Stalin said the issue involved humanitarian, constitutional and national considerations, as nearly 89,000 Sri Lankan Tamils currently reside in the State, including many who have been here for more than 30 years. Around 40 per cent of them were born on Indian soil, he noted.

Referring to the influx that began following ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka in 1983, Stalin said the Tamil Nadu government, with the support of the Union government, has been providing shelter, livelihood assistance, education and healthcare to the refugees. “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,” he said.

The Chief Minister cited the recommendations of a State-appointed advisory committee, which examined the status of Lankan Tamils and identified categories eligible for consideration under existing legal provisions. He pointed out that amendments introduced in 2003 to the Citizenship Act, defining illegal migrants, had adversely affected those who entered India under distress and with governmental approval.

Stalin also referred to recent policy developments, including the Immigration and Foreigners (Exemption) Order, 2025, and urged the Centre to clarify that Sri Lankan Tamils who took refuge in India up to January 9, 2015, should not be treated as illegal migrants. Such clarification, he said, would provide necessary legal certainty and pave the way for long-term solutions.

Among other measures, he called for withdrawal of restrictive administrative instructions, waiver of passport and visa requirements for eligible applicants based on verified State-issued documents, and delegation of powers to district-level authorities to expedite citizenship and long-term visa applications.