Pending CBI reform — 2026 repeal-replace + ECCIRA regulator

Example scenarios

• The 2026 reform (30-day presence, biometrics, higher DD fee, 5-year first passport) is PENDING / NOT YET IN FORCE; current applications follow the existing no-residency rules.

  GD-PND-01 is a pending route (A228) announced in the 1 Dec 2025 Budget + ECCIRA reform package, expected April-June 2026 but not gazetted/in force as of 2026-06-14. Until it is gazetted, the operative regime remains: no residency/physical-presence requirement, DD US$5,000, 10-year first passport. The reform must NOT be asserted as operative; the applicant is currently bound only by the existing rules.

• Applying before the reform's entry into force avoids the announced 30-day-presence, biometrics, higher DD fee and 5-year-passport conditions — but those conditions are not yet law, and EIF timing is uncertain.

  The announced reform package (GD-PND-01) would add a minimum 30 days' physical presence within 5 years of grant, mandatory biometrics, a DD-fee rise of US$2,500-3,000/person, and a first passport cut from 10 to 5 years. The ECCIRA regional regulator (signed ~July/Sep 2025) only enters into force 30 days after the 5th ratification, so timing is uncertain (NLR-PROVISIONAL). Strategically, pre-EIF applications escape the new burdens, but the date is not fixed and nothing should be asserted as already operative.

• No operative change yet; the reform is prospective and not in force. Its scope and any retroactive effect cannot be asserted — treat as NLR-provisional.

  GD-PND-01 carries an NLR-PROVISIONAL flag (not gazetted; EIF pending). The announced first-passport reduction (10→5 years, renewal contingent on residency/biometric/education compliance) describes the future first-issue regime; its application to already-issued passports is not confirmed and must not be asserted. Until gazetted, the existing 10-year validity stands for current holders.