Brenden Valentine Crasto, a 44-year-old Pakistan-born man, was granted Indian citizenship on Monday, ending a 19-year wait. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant presented the citizenship certificate to Crasto at a ceremony in Mantralaya, Porvorim, marking him as the third person in Goa to benefit from the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019. Crasto, joined by his family, expressed gratitude for the milestone.

Crasto, a Roman Catholic with Goan ancestry through his grandparents who migrated to Pakistan before India’s independence, has resided in Anjuna, North Goa, since 2006. He married Indian citizen Merilyn Fernandes in 2014, further tying him to the state. “I’m thankful to the CAA, the Goa government, and the central government for granting me citizenship,” Crasto said, as reported by Daijiworld.

The CAA, notified in March 2024, facilitates citizenship for persecuted non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh who entered India before December 31, 2014. Sawant, speaking to reporters, confirmed Crasto’s application met all requirements under the Citizenship Act, 1955, and the 2019 amendment. “This is the third case of citizenship granted under CAA in Goa,” he said, crediting Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Act’s implementation.

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Crasto follows Joseph Francis Pereira, who in August 2024 became the first Goan to receive citizenship under the CAA, and Shane Sebastian Pereira, the second, in December 2024. Both are Pakistani Christians with Goan roots. The Goa Home Department is actively surveying others eligible for citizenship, with Sawant encouraging applications. The ceremony, attended by Chief Secretary Chesta Yadav, underscores Goa’s role in implementing the CAA, which has processed over 18,000 applications nationwide since 2024.

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