Putin creates new agency to crack down on illegal immigration
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree creating a new state agency tasked with enhancing immigration governance. The Citizenship and Foreign Nationals Registration Service will operate as part of the Interior Ministry.
Commenting after the decree was signed on Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said “the main goal is to bring order to migration processes and enforce measures that promote compliance with Russian laws among migrants while reducing illegal activity.”
Putin earlier stressed the need to focus on shutting down channels of illegal immigration.
The Interior Ministry previously reported the presence of 670,000 undocumented migrants in Russia. It also stated that foreign nationals without valid documents will be permitted to extend their stay until the end of April 2025.
Speaking at the Federation Council earlier on Wednesday, Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov criticized the police for “significant shortcomings” in migration control.
“As a result, there was often no current data on the status and movements of foreign nationals, and their departure from the country was not enforced,” he said. “In 1,500 cases, prosecutors have taken legal action to overturn fraudulent grounds used to legalize migrants.”
Russia adopted stricter migration laws following a foreign-organized terrorist attack on a concert venue outside Moscow in March 2024, which claimed 145 lives and left over 550 injured.
The number of foreign nationals expelled from Russia reached 190,000 last year, nearly a third more than in 2023, according to Interior Ministry data. The number of foreigners deported from the country due to law violations jumped by 45%.
Organizing illegal immigration is now classified as a particularly serious crime, with penalties that include the seizure of financial assets and property gained through human trafficking. The measure is intended to strip criminals of economic incentives and dismantle illegal migration networks.
