There are 6 million foreigners in Russia, half of them are labor migrants

Today, about 6 million foreign citizens stay in Russia, half of which are labor migrants. 400 thousand are students, about 750 thousand are temporary and permanently residing foreigners, said Valentina Kazakova, head of the Main Directorate for Migration of the Russian Interior Ministry.

According to her, since the beginning of the year, 660 thousand facts of fictitious registration of foreign citizens have been revealed in the country – they have been deregistered, criminal cases have been initiated. In addition, since the beginning of 2022, 220 facts of fictitious marriage registration have been identified. About 3 million foreigners have undergone mandatory fingerprinting in Russia since the end of 2021.

Ms. Kazakova recalled that persons who have acquired Russian citizenship may lose it when committing crimes of a terrorist or extremist nature. However, now this list can become wider.

“These crimes are expanded in the field of public security, external security, and the country’s defense capability. And among other things, the deputies proposed to cancel the decision to acquire citizenship on the basis of discrediting the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the use of the Armed Forces,” said Valentina Kazakova (quoted by Interfax).

In early April, the State Duma adopted in the first reading a bill on deprivation of citizenship for grave crimes against the state, terrorist activities, drug trafficking, and forgery of documents. In November, President Vladimir Putin introduced an amendment that proposes to deprive citizenship for fakes about the army, its discrediting, participation in undesirable organizations, calls for violation of territorial integrity (Articles 207.3, 280.3, 284.1, 280.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).

Read more about the bill – in the material “Kommersant” “MPs Renew Citizenship”.

Daria Erozbek