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Russian parliament moves to simplify citizenship requirements

02 April 2014 20:31 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The Russian Parliament on Wednesday passed in the first reading a bill which makes it easier to obtain the country's passport for certain categories of foreigners, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

The bill was drafted by the Federal Migration Service (FMS) and submitted to the State Duma, lower house of the parliament, in mid-March. It suggests amendments that allow Russian native speakers to receive passports through a simplified procedure.

The amendments also envisage simplified procedures to obtain visas and residential permits for prospective citizens. Upon arrival, every newcomer will have two years to apply for the Russian citizenship, the bill proposes.

Anyone who once lived in the Russian territory or has direct relatives there for as long ago as in Russian Empire times, is eligible for the fast-track citizenship, according to the bill published at the government's website.

Territory of the Russian Empire at its largest extent in late 19th century included what now are 11 countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States, three Baltic republics, Finland, part of Poland and the U.S. state of Alaska.

Applicants from any of these countries and territories will only need to pass an exam to prove their command of Russian language to become citizens, the bill says.

Earlier this week, Russia's Ministry for Regional Development has published a report saying that some 36,800 people legally moved to Russia for permanent residence in 2013, a sharp drop from 2012.

According to the FMS chief Konstantin Romodanovsky, Russia needs to accommodate up to 300,000 people every year until 2025 in order to secure the nation's demographic "safety net."