Russia strengthens control over migrant children

The majority of migrant children were unable to enroll in Russian schools.

As of April 1, 2025, new changes to the rules for admitting foreign children to educational institutions in Russia have come into effect. According to the new rules, migrant children can only enroll in schools after successfully passing a Russian language test, answering at least 90% of the questions correctly. The results from the first two months showed that only a few applicants managed to pass this testing.

According to the latest data, 2,868 applications for testing participation were registered in these two months, but only 498 people were allowed to take the exam, which is just 17%. Only 4% of the children passed the testing.

According to authorities, 83% of migrant children were denied the acceptance of documents, including due to the identification of false information in them.

The Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, Vyacheslav Volodin, stated that the new norms have demonstrated their effectiveness, as only a small number of children were accepted from the total number of applications submitted.

However, education experts and observers criticized these rules, warning that they could lead to the exclusion of adolescents from education and upbringing, as well as contribute to the recruitment of youth into criminal groups.

Additionally, Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin announced this week the consideration of a bill requiring regional and municipal education authorities to provide information about migrant children to territorial divisions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD). This will be part of an initiative to “improve migration policy” in Russia.

According to Volodin, the transmitted information will include personal data of children and their parents, test results, and information about enrollment and expulsion from educational institutions. The bill also provides for the appeal of foreign citizens who are included in the register of controlled persons. The MVD, in turn, will provide data on registration or migration accounting.

It should be noted that since 2024, the State Duma of Russia has adopted more than 15 laws aimed at tightening migration policy, and they have already come into effect. These measures have further worsened the already difficult situation of migrants.

It is worth noting that in recent years, there has been a rise in xenophobia and anti-migrant sentiment in Russia. Law enforcement agencies conduct mass raids on the streets, in hostels, cafes, and markets, where migrants are often treated brutally, beaten, and their patents or residence permits are revoked. This particularly affects citizens of Central Asian countries, including Tajikistan. They are also deprived of their residence permits and even citizenship for evading participation in the war in Ukraine.