In connection with the latest dramatic events that took place in Ukraine, the number of people wishing to acquire Russian citizenship has substantially increased in this country. The flow of migrants, previously consisting mainly of people seeking a better share and well-paid job, has now replenished with refugees. How did the State Duma and the Federal Migration Service react to the changing situation?
General order
Until now, obtaining citizenship of the Russian Federation for citizens of Ukraine has been legally and procedurally regulated by the clauses of the “Regulation on the Procedure for Considering Issues of Citizenship of the Russian Federation” dated November 14, 02 According to this document, in order to receive a Russian passport, a foreign citizen, having arrived in Russian territory, is required to register with local authorities and submit an application with a request for registration and obtaining a residence permit. In the case of a positive decision, the holder of this document, still a foreign citizen, must have lived in Russia for five years before receiving the coveted passport. This path is the longest and the hardest.
Special case - Crimea
The massive adoption of Russian citizenship by citizens of Ukraine occurred after the reunification of the Crimean peninsula with the main territory of the country. Passports were simply changed, the procedure was simplified as much as possible. Most of the population of the autonomous republic expressed a desire in a referendum to become Russians, and it was simply technically impossible to comply with formal rules, and, indeed, there was no need for that.
For special merits
Obtaining citizenship of the Russian Federation for citizens of Ukraine is greatly simplified in some cases, namely: during the passage of contract service for three years in the Russian army (according to the 4th part of the 13th article of the Federal Law) or with special services to the country. The requirements for permanent residence, preliminary obtaining a residence permit and temporary registration in these cases do not apply.
Exceptions are provided for those who have received refugee status or political asylum. A special discussion is about figures of science, culture, technology and other branches of human activity in which the applicant has special achievements. The highest qualification or rare profession of such a citizen may cause a decision to reduce the term to 1 year and to consider the case personally by the President.
Resettlement program
The Russian state is interested in the influx of qualified able-bodied people who are culturally and psychologically close to the main composition of their own population. After the collapse of the USSR, a considerable number of Russians and representatives of other peoples became realities, classifying themselves as Russians who suddenly turned out (in legal terms) to be foreigners.
Obtaining citizenship of the Russian Federation by citizens of Ukraine in accordance with the Program of Relocation of Compatriots involves the creation of conditions for those who wish to become Russians. For such, a number of benefits, state aid and support are supposed, but there are also certain restrictions related to the target nature of this measure.
Firstly, working age, it can not be less than 25 and more than 50 years.
Secondly, pensioners and people with disabilities cannot become participants in the labor migration program (this is its essence).
Thirdly, compatriots-immigrants cannot settle in Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as in adjacent areas; here state support does not work.
The main advantage is that obtaining citizenship of the Russian Federation for citizens of Ukraine (and some other countries - the former Soviet republics) is significantly accelerated and takes from six months to a year.
To take part in the program, you should provide the usual set of documents: passport (if any, then a foreign one) with an authorized translation, diplomas and certificates of education, work book (preferably).
If the metrics of relatives confirming Russian origin (including the fact of birth in the RSFSR) have been preserved, then it is also advisable to attach them.
Obtaining citizenship of the Russian Federation for citizens of Ukraine in the easiest way
If a citizen of Ukraine is not in the zone of military conflict, and he does not need to leave his native place as a refugee, then the easiest way to obtain citizenship is to contact a Russian foreign institution (diplomatic mission or consular department). This will immediately save you from many problems associated with the long-term residence of a non-resident in the Russian Federation. In this case, there is no need to obtain a residence permit, the requirement of a mandatory one-year stay in Russia also does not apply. Actually, during the period of consideration of the issue (up to six months), you can not change the usual way of life.
Simplification Project
Despite numerous rumors that citizenship of the Russian Federation is now easy for Ukrainians, and this supposedly takes only a couple of months, Russian law has not yet undergone significant changes. A draft law on simplification of the procedure exists; the State Duma is going to consider it, but this has not yet happened. The document submitted for discussion suggests approving the right to repatriate to certain categories of Ukrainian citizens, including Russian-speaking with Russian roots. This means that people who, by the will of fate, ended up abroad, but born in the territory of the Russian Empire, the RSFSR or the Russian Federation, or whose parents lived here, have some advantages over other applicants for a double-headed eagle passport. Moreover, the right to dual citizenship is not provided for in the project.
The document has not yet been considered fully developed; it has both opponents and supporters.