Orthodox people say a non-Orthodox conversion isn’t valid. What does that mean – what makes a conversion valid halachically, and what is the minimum the person has to do (mila, tevila, accepting the mitzvos)? After converting, does the convert have to keep the mitzvos, and if he doesn’t, is the conversion retroactively nothing? And how was geirus done in the times of the Torah and Chazal – was it the same as today?
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The labels Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform are modern political or denominational labels, not halachic categories. I would not say that a conversion is valid simply because it is called “Orthodox.” The important thing is that the people conducting the conversion are observant Jews who believe in and follow halacha, so that the conversion itself is actually performed properly. If the people conducting it do not themselves accept the halachic system, then from the standpoint of observant Judaism there is an obvious problem with relying on their conversion.
The basic requirements are quite simple. For a man there is milah, and for everyone there is tevila, together with an acceptance of Judaism, God, Torah and mitzvot. That does not mean the convert has to know every halacha or promise to observe every mitzvah perfectly from day one. Chazal specifically say to teach the convert some basic mitzvot, not the entire Torah before allowing the conversion.
Afterward, the convert is like every other Jew. Jews make mistakes, sometimes violate mitzvot, sometimes go through periods when they are more or less observant. That does not retroactively cancel the conversion. Once someone has genuinely converted, he is Jewish.
And historically, conversion was much simpler than the elaborate system that has developed today. In the Gemara you find people coming to convert and the process moving forward very quickly. There were no two-year courses, enormous examinations, or expectation of religious perfection before somebody could become Jewish. The purpose was to make sure the person genuinely wanted to join the Jewish people and accept Judaism, teach the essentials, and then allow the person to continue learning and growing afterward.