Vladimir Putin instructed to reform the migration regimes and the institution of citizenship in Russia. The corresponding list of instructions of the head of state is published on the Kremlin website.

We are talking about work on the concept of state migration policy for 2019-2025 based on proposals prepared by the working group.

The need for reform, published on the Kremlin’s website, is explained by the fact that the existing migration rules are “insufficiently clear and unified for several reasons”. In addition, as noted in the president’s instructions, the level of use of information technology in the provision of services and control in the field of migration remains low.

“Foreign citizens, primarily those who come to the Russian Federation for work purposes, often seek to circumvent the existing difficulties in registering their migration status by going into the shadows (illegal labor migration) or by acquiring the status of temporary and permanent residents, as well as Russian citizenship (hidden temporary labor migration), ”the statement said.

At the same time, the president pointed out that situations still arise in which people who are able to become full members of Russian society face “unjustified difficulties”.

To solve these problems, the head of state notes, spot corrections will not work, a set of measures is required.

“Point changes in migration legislation, as well as toughening of legal liability, will not lead to a qualitative improvement in the state of the migration sphere and the formation of a migration situation that is in the interests of the Russian Federation and the necessary level of security and law and order,” the statement said.

Instead, the head of state proposed reforming the migration regimes and the institution of Russian citizenship in three areas: creating favorable conditions for resettlement to Russia for people who speak the Russian language and relatives of the Russian Federation in mentality and culture, creating migration rules for those wishing to move to Russia and temporary guests, as well as improving security, including through the widespread adoption of information technology.

In turn, proposals for the implementation of these measures are divided into six sections: improving the institutions of permanent residence (residence permit) and citizenship, creating a unified migration regime, modernizing mechanisms for regulating labor migration, improving mechanisms for ensuring security in the migration sphere, and informatizing the sphere of migration management. The final section is additional measures to ensure reform.

Residence

As part of the proposed reform, it is assumed that a residence permit should become the main migration status, which will allow a foreign citizen to apply for Russian citizenship in a simplified manner.

Moreover, such a status as a temporary residence permit is proposed to be abolished. This is explained by the fact that the corresponding institution has "outlived itself" and the privileges offered by it are often bought in order to avoid obtaining permits for temporary labor activity.

Recall that the current legislation provides for a temporary residence permit. This document is issued for a period of three years and does not provide for renewal.

The criteria for obtaining a residence permit should be registration in the state information system, residence on the territory of the Russian Federation and compliance with Russian legislation, as well as the absence of dangerous diseases and, as a rule, knowledge of the Russian language.

In terms of citizenship, it is proposed to establish three types of order: general, simplified and special. The first of them is used by default for all persons who have no reason to go through any of the other options.

Within the framework of the simplified procedure, some requirements are removed due to the origin of potential citizens from countries “close in sociocultural terms”, as well as the existence of a vulnerable situation, positive social ties in the Russian Federation.

In a special order, those cases are considered, “a decision on which requires an assessment of non-obvious facts and in this connection a commission review, special procedures and a high level of decision-making”.

Single migration mode

For those staying in Russia more than 90 days a year, it is proposed to introduce a single migration regime for long-term stays. It is intended for those who come for any legal purpose, including work and getting an education, but without obtaining a residence permit and acquiring citizenship.

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The corresponding procedure is proposed to apply to all foreign citizens entering the Russian Federation in a manner that does not require a visa.

The criteria for obtaining this status are the presence of a verified account in the state information system with biometric data, the absence of dangerous infectious diseases and the receipt of a single document with an electronic information carrier.

“Loyalty Agreement” and “Controlled Stay”

As part of improving the mechanisms for ensuring security and law and order in the migration sphere, it is proposed to introduce several special tools.

The “loyalty agreement” mechanism implies that foreign citizens officially enter into obligations to enter the territory of the Russian Federation. Their violation will lead to the fact that the stay of these persons will be declared undesirable. This will be followed by the loss of the right to be in Russia.

In this regard, the institution of unwanted stay should be improved. This category may include convicted and convicted people, people suffering from dangerous diseases, providing false documents and knowingly false information when obtaining migration statuses, as well as those who hid the income received in the Russian Federation from taxation or violated the “loyalty agreement”.

In addition, it is proposed to introduce the status of “controlled stay”, within which a foreign citizen can be granted both special rights and additional duties, for example, regular personal attendance, restriction of movement and other control.

This procedure will apply to potentially unwanted individuals who, for a number of reasons, are still located in the Russian Federation.

Unified Information Platform

To process information about foreigners and migration flows, it is planned to create a unified information system. It will make it possible to use the data available in the information resources of various departments, linking them with a specific person.

The system will have to regularly collect basic statistical indicators with the possibility of issuing both standardized and generated upon request reports. It also implies the preparation by the system of special analytics, for example, the direction of migration flows at different times of the day, the distribution of foreign citizens across the territory and other information.

In addition, the system is designed to translate part of the workflow into electronic format, and will also have to notify foreigners of decisions made by their applications and the validity period of their documents.

Note that in 2019, Vladimir Putin has already signed a number of documents introducing amendments to the migration legislation. In August, the president approved a law that significantly simplifies the procedure for obtaining a temporary residence permit and residence permit for certain categories of foreigners and stateless persons.

A few months earlier, the president expanded the list of Ukrainian citizens who can apply for Russian passports in a simplified manner. Putin himself approved the mechanism a few months before, but the original version of the document was valid only for residents of the self-proclaimed republics of Donbass.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, almost 500 thousand people received Russian citizenship in 2019, which turned out to be 2.5 times higher than the average annual figures over the past ten years.

Ability to maintain foreign citizenship

A bill will soon be submitted to the State Duma for permission to obtain a Russian passport without renouncing the citizenship of another country. According to the first deputy chairman of the State Duma committee on CIS affairs and relations with compatriots Viktor Vodolatsky, the document can be submitted for consideration on March 10.

“This is a law that allows, first of all, our compatriots and, in principle, citizens who wish to live and work in the Russian Federation, to receive a passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation without renouncing the citizenship of their country ... If on Tuesday, the 10th, the law will be in the State Duma, then I I think that Wednesday, Thursday maximum - we will consider it on the committee, ”said Vodolatsky. His words are quoted by RIA Novosti.

Vodolatsky said that the question of the possibility of obtaining a Russian passport while maintaining existing foreign citizenship was asked to Vladimir Putin during the World Congress of Compatriots. According to the deputy, the president promised to meet these wishes.

According to the parliamentarian, the draft will be submitted to the first reading tentatively at the end of March, and the second and, possibly, third readings are expected in April.