How do you obtain the status of “voluntary migrant”?

Migrant status is given to those people who leave their previous place of residence for certain reasons that infringe on their rights and are accompanied by danger for citizens. Such people move to a new country for a quiet life, taking their family and close relatives with them. All interested persons who meet the required criteria specified below have the right to have this position.

Under what conditions can one obtain migrant status?

There is an age limit: a person who has reached the age of majority can receive migrant status.
The migrant must be legally competent. That is, a person must be able to be responsible for his actions and bear obligations. Full legal capacity of a citizen comes upon reaching the age of majority. In our country, this age is 18 years (Article 21 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation) or in other limited cases.
A person wishing to obtain migrant status must not have a criminal record.
Knowledge of the Russian language and the ability to use it, tested by a special commission.
A citizen who wishes to obtain migrant status in another state must remain without debts or any obligations that have become an obstacle to leaving the territory of the country in which the person previously lived.
The migrant should not be deported from Russia.
A citizen must have an education so that when moving to a new country he can get a job in a short time.

Grounds for refusal

For a number of reasons, applicants may be given a negative decision on participation in the state program.

The most common reasons are:

adherents of movements that destroy the political system;
in the past were convicted in the Russian Federation for crimes of particular gravity such as murder, rape, etc.;
currently have an outstanding criminal record;
terrorists and extremists;
persons previously deported from Russia;
repeatedly brought to administrative responsibility in the Russian Federation;
foreigners threatening the national security of the country;
citizens who provided false information when obtaining a certificate.

Relocation under the state program is denied for other reasons, depending on the biographical factors of the applicant or the specific situation.

Which people can apply for this status?

Citizens of another country with Russian roots.
Citizens of the Russian Federation living in the territory of another state.
Citizens who, during the existence of the USSR, lived on its territory, and after the collapse became residents of one of the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Citizens of another country living in the Russian Federation.
Persons who, during the existence of the USSR, lived on its territory and had a Russian passport.
Persons with ancestors among the population of the Russian Federation.

What else do you need to know

Participation in the program is completely free - no state fee is required. Moreover, for those who become displaced, compensation (for example, travel) and “lifting” are provided.

In general, the procedure for obtaining Russian citizenship under the program takes about a year.

After receiving a passport, you become a full-fledged citizen of the Russian Federation, receive all rights and bear full civil responsibility.

Author: Evgenia Sosina

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What documents are required to obtain migrant status in the Russian Federation?

To obtain migrant status, you must submit the following documents:

Statement of desire to obtain migrant status.
A document that confirms the identity and previous citizenship of the migrant.
A document indicating the person’s territory of residence and registration.
A document confirming the migrant’s education and work experience.
A document confirming the possibility of a moving person to find housing in the Russian Federation.
Two 3x4 photographs of a displaced person.

Document requirements

According to the norms of the current (including migration) legislation of the Russian Federation, among the main requirements for all the above documents are:

Identity of the applicant’s full name, date and place of birth in all documents provided;
Completeness and authenticity of the information provided;
Authenticity and validity (not expired) of documents;
Readability of all documents (originals and copies), their satisfactory condition;
Availability of a notarized translation for each foreign document (in some situations, some documents must also be legalized or have an apostille);
Notarization of all copies (both domestic and foreign documents) from the above list.

You can translate foreign documents at any translation agency that also provides notarization services. As a rule, translations take several days to prepare, but most of these organizations also do urgent translations (the price of the work will be higher).

Benefits that the Russian Federation provides to migrants

The legislation of the Russian Federation guarantees to all migrants that if their movement and residence on the territory of Russia is approved, they will receive the necessary minimum, allowing them to settle in a new place and find employment.

The migrants were also promised:

Raising money that will help citizens settle in a new place.
A monthly allowance that is paid to migrants until they are employed.
At first, the state helps migrants pay for a rented apartment or house.
The state reimburses migrants for all expenses incurred for moving, as well as for moving things from their previous place of residence.

Migrants cannot obtain Russian citizenship immediately, that is, as soon as they move, but over time they will be able to do this.

IDPs, like Russian citizens, have the right to:

Free education, that is, study at the expense of the state (general education, higher and vocational).
Free medical care.

Selection criteria for participants

In each Russian subject, depending on the needs for specialists, citizens who have a profession in demand are identified.

There are not enough doctors in Kamchatka and Khabarovsk Territory. The latter also requires miners. In the Tambov region there is a constant turnover of workers as mechanics, drivers or tractor drivers.

As a result of resettlement under the state project, participants who have become new citizens of the Russian Federation can count on the following preferences:

EDV of 240 thousand rubles;
monthly payments, which are provided in the first six months;
free package of social services;
additional financial support for minors;
protection of Russian government agencies from accusations received abroad.

Along with preferences, newly minted Russians acquire obligations to follow the codes, legislation and Constitution of the state.

Procedure for relocation

Migrants must choose the region in which they would like to live.
Resettlers should familiarize themselves with the legislation of a particular region on the issue of participation in the resettlement program.
The migrant will need to prepare a set of documents, both for the migrant himself and for his family.
Next, you will need to submit an application for relocation with the necessary documents attached.

After completing all the above-mentioned points, the candidate must wait for the outcome of his application, which takes approximately two months. If a citizen finds out that the application has been approved, he can receive a certificate of participation in the state program and receive resettled status. When he has all the necessary documents in his hands, he can safely go to the region of the Russian Federation he has chosen to live, taking his family with him.

Thus, any needy person who meets the criteria for obtaining this status can become a migrant. This helps people start a new life in another country, where they will feel safe and begin to live in more comfortable conditions. The state guarantees displaced people both material assistance and protection. Obtaining this status takes a lot of time, but if a person responsibly approaches the preparation of questionnaires and acts as a worthy candidate, then such a migrant will most likely receive approval from the state and begin to build a new life in another country.

Changes in the resettlement program for compatriots in 2021

On May 12, 2021, the President of the Russian Federation signed Decree No. 322, amending the resettlement program, in particular, the circle of relatives of the program participant is expanding, adoptive parents are being added, and an adult family member of the program participant has the right to independently participate in the resettlement program, including his or her spouse. That is, the legal circle of the program participant’s family and those family members who can independently participate in the program have expanded.

The program participant certificate will now be issued for five years , and not for three years as before. Let us remind you that the certificate cannot be renewed after the expiration of the term and citizenship must be obtained during the validity period of the certificate; five years is better than three.

A new clause has appeared in the state program on the provision of a housing subsidy for the purchase or construction of residential premises, the right to receive which is confirmed by a housing certificate. The size of the housing subsidy will be calculated taking into account the market value of one square meter in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. The subsidy will be provided after acquiring Russian citizenship.

If you lose your status as a participant in the resettlement program less than three years after registration, this entails the recovery of costs incurred by the state and a housing subsidy.

This Decree comes into force on July 1, 2020.

Cost and waiting period

The amount of costs for obtaining a temporary residence permit directly depends on the place where documents for the application are submitted:

Main Directorate for Migration Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation (any territorial department) - state duty in the amount of 1,600 rubles;
The Russian Embassy in the country of residence of the future Russian citizen – consular fee in the amount of 18 US dollars.

In addition, you will have to pay the costs of legalizing the translation of your national passport - to a notary in the Russian Federation or a consul outside Russia. When registering a temporary residence permit through a consul upon arrival in Russia, you must also pay an additional fee in the standard amount - one thousand six hundred rubles.

The waiting period for a decision is regulated by a standard period of 60 calendar days. However, it can be extended by an employee of the department if there are compelling reasons:

How to check the readiness of a document

You can find out about the decision made in various ways:

Online - on the official website of the Main Directorate for Migration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation when registering through the territorial department of the department;
By telephone - at the consular departments of the Russian Federation when submitting an application through the diplomatic mission;
Postal notification – regardless of the chosen option for receiving a temporary residence permit.

Papers that need to be translated and notarized

If copies of documents written in a foreign language are provided, a translation into Russian will be required, with notarization of its accuracy.

An application to a notary will also be required to certify copies of the passports of the applicant and his family members included in the application (it is enough to certify a copy of the main page of the passport), as well as copies of papers confirming kinship, marital status, education, and work experience.

A copy of the work book, if it is filled out in a foreign language, also requires translation and certification . In this case, certification of the authenticity of the book by the employer is not taken into account.

In many countries, for example, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, all these documents are not presented in Russian, so they will need to be translated and certified. Elderly Ukrainian and Moldovan citizens may still have documents drawn up in Russian that do not require translation.

Notarized translations that are submitted along with the application must be bound at the same level (top or middle). If the application is submitted to the Russian Federation, then the certification must be handled by a Russian notary. Documents certified by a foreigner are valid only when applying to the Russian consulate.