A lawyer assessed the changes related to foreigners residing in the Russian Federation

New changes concerning foreigners in the Russian Federation simplify migration processes, lawyer David Adams, CEO of the AID Professional Legal Group, told Izvestia.

Earlier in the day, the State Duma passed a law that amends the rules of entry, exit and stay of foreign citizens in Russia, as well as the procedure for obtaining citizenship by them. This follows from the data of the system of ensuring legislative activity.

"The essence of these changes is to make the process more streamlined and remove outdated, ineffective norms that made life difficult for both foreigners and government agencies," Adams explained.

He noted that, firstly, the procedure for recognizing foreign citizens as native speakers of Russian is being abolished. Previously, this gave certain privileges, such as simplified citizenship.

"However, it turned out that most applicants received citizenship on other grounds, and the procedure itself became redundant. Now the simplified procedure remains only for those who have close relatives who lived in the former USSR or RSFSR. This is a step to focus on a person's real ties with Russia, rather than on formalities," the expert said.

Secondly, a simplified procedure for obtaining a residence permit is preserved for qualified specialists, but now it is required that they have worked in their profession for at least a year. Previously it was six months. As the lawyer explained, this was done to give the opportunity to get a residence permit to those who have already proved their usefulness and integration into Russian society.

"Another important point concerns people who have lost Russian citizenship for one reason or another. The law gives them the opportunity to stay in the country temporarily and to draw up the necessary documents to avoid situations when a person finds himself in a "suspended" state without legal status. At the same time, tough measures are envisioned for those who obtained citizenship illegally or provided false data, including swift expulsion," Adams added.

In his opinion, this law solves several problems at once: it simplifies and streamlines migration processes, eliminates outdated regulations and creates more transparent rules for all categories of foreign citizens.

"This should reduce the burden on the authorities and make the process more understandable for both migrants and those who already live and work in Russia," Adams concluded.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on December 9 that a concept of migration security and recommendations for improving legislation to combat illegal migration had been prepared in a timely manner. He pointed out that all measures in migration issues should be taken in such a way that both people moving for work from one country to another and the population of these states feel calm and confident.