Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law tightening regulations for granting citizenship, as well as temporary and permanent residence permits to foreign nationals. The legislation also significantly expands the list of administrative offenses that can serve as grounds for the administrative expulsion of foreigners from the country.
According to the Operative Information Center-OMM, the new regulations stipulate that foreign nationals with outstanding or unexpunged criminal records will be denied Russian citizenship, temporary residence permits, and permanent residency. If such documents have already been issued, they will be revoked upon the discovery of a criminal record.
Under the new law, applicants are required to submit a criminal record certificate issued by the competent authorities of their country of residence no earlier than three months prior to the application. Individuals holding multiple citizenships or residence permits must provide corresponding documentation for each.
These requirements do not apply to foreign nationals under the age of 14, individuals granted refugee status or political asylum in Russia, or those currently serving or who have previously served in the Russian Armed Forces under contract.
Furthermore, the Russian President has signed legislation expanding the list of administrative offenses leading to expulsion. The number of relevant articles in the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation has increased from 22 to 45.
Under the updated rules, administrative expulsion may be applied for offenses including participation in unauthorized protests, actions discrediting the Russian Armed Forces, calls for sanctions against Russia, public calls violating the country's territorial integrity, petty hooliganism, discrimination, failure to comply with the lawful demands of law enforcement or border service personnel, and extremist activities.
The law also introduces increased fines for violations of migration legislation, including illegal employment of foreign nationals, unauthorized hiring practices, and breaches of entry, stay, and border crossing regulations.
