This draft law On Introducing Changes to the Federal Law On the Citizenship of the Russian Federation and Specific Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation was submitted by the Federal Migration Service.
These changes stipulate a simplified procedure for granting Russian citizenship to foreign citizens and stateless persons who have been recognised as native Russian language speakers, and who have lived permanently in the Russian Federation or are the direct descendents of those who have lived permanently in the Russian Federation, including territories that were previously part of the Russian Empire or the Soviet Union. Another condition says that prospective Russian citizens will be required to renounce their foreign citizenship, or that they are not citizens of any foreign state.
There are plans to recognise foreign citizens or stateless persons as native Russian language speakers after interviews being conducted by a special commission.
Changes, due to be introduced to Federal Law On the Procedure for Exiting and Entering the Russian Federation and the Federal Law On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation, will reduce deadlines for granting Russian citizenship to the above categories of foreign citizens and stateless persons. These changes will also simplify the procedure for the entry of these persons into the Russian Federation and for obtaining residence permits. For instance, there are plans to issue standard visas for granting Russian citizenship. It will also be possible to issue residence permits in circumvention of the current preliminary stage that stipulates the issue of temporary residence permits to persons who have spent at least 12 months in the Russian Federation in line with these temporary residence permits.
Moreover, deadlines for reviewing requests and granting Russian citizenship in line with the simplified procedure shall be reduced to three months.
The draft law also proposes reducing deadlines for reviewing requests for Russian citizenship by parties to the state programme to assist the voluntary relocation of compatriots living abroad to the Russian Federation from six to three months.
