On June 13, 2012, Vladimir Putin, the President of the Russian Federation, approved the new State Migration Policy Concept of the Russian Federation for the period 2012-2025. This is the first comprehensive, nationwide policy concept in the modern history of Russia.
The Concept is planned to be implemented on three stages as follows:
First stage (2012-2015)
- Development and adaptation of legislation, ensuring the implementation of goals and directions of the state migration policy; creation of infrastructure for the integration and adaptation of migrants, for example, information and legal support centres, courses in Russian language, history and culture; conducting of sampling studies with regard to internal and international migration.
Second stage (2016-2020)
- Adopting of programmes in the main areas of the state migration policy; implementation and monitoring of the adopted programmes; summary and analysing of the law enforcement practice of the adopted regulations. It is assumed that the migration outflow out of the Siberian and Far Eastern regions will stop after the second stage.
Third stage (2021-2025)
- Assessment of the effectiveness of the implemented programmes; identification of the primary trends in the implementation of the state migration policy and adjustment of corresponding programmes. It is assumed that as a result of the implementation of the third stage will be observed a migration inflow to the Siberian and Far Eastern regions by 2026.
Some of the principal directions of the new migration concept with cross-border effects
with examples of already enforced state interventions are:
- the creation of mechanisms for immigration of qualified specialists and other foreign workers needed on the Russian labour market (see related GTA measures Nr. 3906 and 4063 below);
- the creation of mechanisms for immigration of foreign entrepreneurs and investors (see related GTA measure Nr. 4210 below);
- the simplification of entry and residence requirements for foreign nationals wishing to do business in Russia (see related GTA measure Nr. 4210 below).
- the introduction of a point system for granting of a permanent resident permit to immigrants.
- the authorisation of foreign students to work on equal basis as Russian students in the period of their studies in Russia (see related GTA measure Nr. 5125 below).
- the creation of opportunities for foreign students to work in Russia in their area of expertise after their graduation from a Russian university.
- continuation of the existing programme for help for Russian compatriots living abroad to resettle in Russia and facilitating the return of emigrants.
- fine-tuning of quota-based state interventions.
- creation of differentiated programmes for short and long term migrants.
- the engagement of Russia in migration-related international cooperation.
