Russia tightens entry rules for new migrants

The State Duma passed two bills in the second and third readings, tightening migration rules in Russia. The first expands the grounds for denial of citizenship, temporary residence permits, and permanent residence permits; the second doubles the list of offenses for which foreigners are deported from the country.

What changes in the rules for obtaining citizenship and residence permits

Currently, foreigners are denied citizenship only if they have a criminal record for intentional crimes. Temporary residence permits and permanent residence permits are only denied to those convicted of serious or especially serious crimes.

The new law tightens these norms. Citizenship, temporary residence permits, and permanent residence permits will not be issued if there is an unexpunged criminal record for any crime. If such documents have already been issued but it later turns out that the migrant has an unexpunged criminal record, they will be revoked.

Exceptions were made for refugees and those who have received political asylum in Russia. The new norms do not apply to them.

What documents will be required from migrants

When applying for a temporary or permanent residence permit, migrants will have to provide a paper document confirming the presence or absence of a criminal record. It is issued by the competent authorities of the applicant«s country of residence no earlier than three months before the application is submitted. If the foreigner has multiple citizenships or residence permits, they must provide relevant certificates for each of them.

Some categories of migrants will not be required to provide a criminal record document. This applies to children under 14, refugees who have received political asylum, as well as those who serve or have served under contract in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

Effective dates of the changes

The law will come into force 180 days after publication. All applications submitted before this date will be processed under the old rules; no additional criminal record certificates will be required. For citizens of Ukraine wishing to obtain a temporary or permanent residence permit, such certificates will also not be required within two years of the entry into force of the new provisions.

Expansion of the list of violations for deportation

The second bill increases the list of offenses for which foreigners are deported from Russia from 22 to 45 articles of the Administrative Code. These include:

participation in unsanctioned rallies;

discrediting the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation;

calls for sanctions pressure on Russia and its citizens;

public calls for violating the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation;

violation of the emergency regime, counter-terrorist operation, or martial law;

shooting in unauthorized places;

obstructing traffic;

disobedience to law enforcement;

petty hooliganism;

discrimination and disobedience at the border.

A separate block concerns extremism and destructive information: desecration of religious symbols, incitement to hatred or enmity, propaganda of extremist or Nazi symbols, production and distribution of extremist materials, calls for terrorism through audiovisual services, and abuse of media freedom to spread dangerous information.

Increased fines for migrants

The bill also increases fines for certain offenses. In particular, the changes will affect violations of the rules for crossing the Russian border, entry rules and stay regime, as well as illegal work by foreigners in Russia and illegal hiring of migrants.