New laws for regulating migration have been adopted in Russia

The State Duma of Russia approved a number of bills aimed at tightening migration policy on May 13 in the first reading.

According to Russian media, the Chairman of the State Duma stated that this is a “continuation of the improvement of migration policy” and an enhancement of public safety.

One of the bills stipulates the exclusion of the possibility for migrants with unexpunged or unsatisfied criminal records for any crime committed on the territory of Russia or abroad to acquire Russian citizenship or obtain residency rights. This rule applies to all crimes, regardless of their severity.

The second bill proposes to double the list of administrative offenses for which foreign citizens will be subject to expulsion. The number of these articles will increase from 22 articles of the Administrative Offenses Code to 43.

According to media reports, the list includes several offenses related to political activities. In particular, among them are “discrediting the armed forces,” calls for sanctions against Russia, displaying extremist symbols, and distributing prohibited materials.

As reported by the newspaper Kommersant, foreigners will be expelled for participating in unauthorized rallies, abusing freedom of mass media, and petty hooliganism in defiance of police orders.

Russian authorities state that the reasons for the tightening are linked to an increase in offenses committed by migrants.

According to official data, 72,000 migrants were expelled from Russia in 2025.