Russia doubles the grounds for deporting foreigners, adding offenses like disobeying border guards and ‘discrediting’ the army
Russia’s State Duma, the lower house of parliament, passed legislation on second and third readings expanding the grounds on which foreigners can be expelled from the country.
The offenses added to the list include:
- participating in unauthorized rallies;
- “discrediting” the Russian military;
- calling for sanctions against Russia;
- violating the requirements of a state of emergency, a counterterrorism operation, or martial law;
- discharging firearms in prohibited locations;
- obstructing traffic;
- disobeying law enforcement;
- petty hooliganism;
- discrimination;
- disobeying border guards.
The same legislation raises fines for violating rules governing border crossings, entry into Russia, and the terms of residence in the country, as well as for the illegal employment of foreigners and the illegal hiring of foreign workers.
In a separate measure, the State Duma passed a law barring foreigners with criminal records from obtaining Russian citizenship. A criminal conviction — whether for offenses committed in Russia or abroad — will also serve as grounds for denying a residence permit or temporary residence authorization.
Foreigners applying for documents to reside in Russia will be required to provide a certificate confirming they have no criminal record, starting from age 14. Exceptions apply to children, foreigners with refugee status, and citizens of foreign countries “serving under contract in the Russian Armed Forces or who have participated in combat operations as part of those forces.”
Russian authorities have significantly tightened immigration policy in recent years. A registry of monitored individuals was created, and people can end up on it by mistake. A mandatory Russian language test was introduced for enrolling foreign children in schools. Authorities also restricted the expedited pathway to residency permits for foreigners married to Russian citizens.
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