Starting January 1, 2024, citizens who permanently reside abroad and want to move to Russia will need to verify their knowledge of the Russian language. The relevant decision was accepted by the Council of Ministers and published in the official gazette. portal legal information.
The document states that those wishing to move can either conduct an interview or submit a document (original or copy) confirming that they received training on the territory of the Russian Federation after September 1, 1991. A certificate of education issued in a country where Russian is one of the official languages is also eligible.
“The condition for accepting applications from citizens <…> “The question is whether their knowledge of the Russian language is sufficient to communicate verbally and in writing in a language environment,” the decision states.
This requirement does not apply to Russian citizens living abroad, as well as citizens of Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Moldova.
Who is considered a citizen?
On June 22, 2006, a program became operational in Russia, thanks to which citizens who found themselves outside the Russian Federation after the collapse of the USSR could return to their historical homeland.
Citizens are considered as:
– citizens of the Russian Federation permanently residing outside Russia;
– citizens of foreign states that were part of the USSR or stateless persons with USSR citizenship;
– Immigrants or stateless persons who have citizenship or a residence permit in a country other than the Russian state, the Russian Republic, the RSFSR, the USSR and the Russian Federation and their descendants.
The program participant will be assisted in moving to Russia but only to a specific region. He will be given compensation for moving expenses, payment of state fees for paperwork, a one-time allowance for settlement and a monthly allowance in the absence of income. The program participant will also receive a compensation package (education, health, public employment services). The participant together with his/her spouse, children (including adopted children) and spouse’s children, spouse’s parents and parents, siblings of the participant and spouse and their children, grandparents and grandchildren may move to Russia.
On March 30, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law requiring relocation candidates to demonstrate a certain level of proficiency in the Russian language. Participants in this program can obtain Russian citizenship in a simple way.
Deputy Mikhail Matveev in December contributed A bill that would clarify the concept of “citizen” was submitted to the State Duma.
“The purpose of the bill, I will not hide this, is to eliminate the loophole that allows immigrants representing nations that have established their own independent states to move to Russia under the guise of their “citizens”.” Wrote HE.
According to the deputy’s proposal, representatives of peoples who have established their own independent national state outside Russia cannot be considered citizens (he identified Ukrainians and Belarusians as exceptions). He also underlined that those who apply for resettlement must know Russian.
The deputy explained his position as follows: “If Russian is not spoken in the family, then such a “citizen” really does not maintain a “spiritual, cultural, legal connection” with Russia.