Putin added to the program of resettlement of compatriots the requirement of knowledge of the Russian language

Foreign citizens who, under the program of resettlement of compatriots, want to obtain Russian citizenship, will have to confirm their knowledge of the Russian language, follows from the decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin, published on the Internet portal of legal information.

According to the document, compatriots moving to Russia are required to have knowledge of the language at a level “sufficient for oral and written communication in a linguistic environment.” The corresponding requirement will also be relevant for foreigners living in the Russian Federation who want to obtain citizenship under this program.

The level of Russian language proficiency can be documented (for example, education documents) or through an interview with a commission formed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The interview should be conducted in an online format, follows from the text of the decree.

The document states that compatriots from among the citizens of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova and Ukraine do not need to confirm their knowledge of the Russian language.

In August 2022, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia proposed introduce a mandatory test of knowledge of the Russian language for citizens of the CIS who acquire citizenship under the program for the resettlement of compatriots. Also at the end of the year, the Ministry of Internal Affairs developed a draft law aimed at excluding the possibility for foreigners to obtain migration status through fictitious marriages or establishing paternity.

In January, Kirill Kabanov, member of the HRC Council declaredthat the issuance of Russian citizenship under the program for the resettlement of compatriots should be temporarily limited. In his opinion, “corrupt businessmen from the migration services, together with ethnic organized crime groups and oligarchs,” made the program a “feeding trough” with billions of dollars in turnover.

Erdni Kagaltynov