A 78-year-old Christian from Pakistan, who has been living in Goa since 2013, has become the first person from the state to get citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019.
- Born in 1946, Joseph Pereira, originally of Goan descent, migrated to Pakistan — before Goa was liberated and was under the Portuguese regime. He attained Pakistani citizenship and lived in Karachi before returning to India in 2013.
- On September 11, 2013, Pereira returned to India — thus eligible for Indian citizenship. Originally from Paroda village in Salcete taluka, Pereira now lives in Cansaulim village of South Goa, with his family.
- The CAA was enacted in December 2019 to grant Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who came to India on or before December 31, 2014. These include Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians.
