A Christian man, Joseph Francis Pereira, migrated from Goa to present-day Pakistan before Independence. His primary motive for settling in Pakistan was to get an education there. After completing his education and becoming qualified, he took up a job in Pakistan. He later obtained Pakistani citizenship and lived in Karachi. He returned to India on September 11, 2013.
Pereira, a Pakistani Christian, is the first Goan to receive Indian citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday (August 28, 2024) handed over the Indian citizenship certificate to the 78-year-old Pakistani Christian under the Citizenship Amendment Act.
Mr. Pereira, born in 1946, is married to Maria from the coastal state of Goa. According to the government, he entered India on September 11, 2013.
“Though Pereira was married to a Goan woman, he faced hurdles in getting Indian citizenship,” the Chief Minister said. The central government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, amended the Citizenship Act of 1955. The Chief Minister presented Pereira with the certificate according to this Act in the presence of state Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte.