Migrants with criminal records to be barred from Russian citizenship

Russia's State Duma is set to continue deliberations on a package of bills aimed at refining the country's migration policies. A key proposal among these is to bar migrants with unexpunged or unwithdrawn criminal convictions from acquiring Russian citizenship or residency rights.

According to State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin, the legislation intends to exclude individuals convicted of any crime, whether within Russia or abroad, from the path to citizenship. Furthermore, the proposed measures include the annulment of previously issued residence permits or temporary stay permits if a criminal record is subsequently identified.

This new regulation, however, will not apply to foreign nationals who have been granted refugee status or have received political or temporary asylum within the Russian Federation. These individuals will be exempt from the proposed restrictions.

Since 2024, Russia has enacted approximately 30 federal laws aimed at improving order within its migration sphere. Recent statistics highlight the enforcement of these measures, with 14,600 migrants expelled from Russia in June 2026 alone. Additionally, decisions were made to restrict entry for 29,300 foreign citizens during the same period.

“

As it becomes apparent that they’re not supposed to be here, they’ll be put on a plane and sent back to where they’re supposed to be.