In Russia, the legalization period for migrants has been extended

Now migrants have the opportunity to legalize their status until September of this year.

By his decree, the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, extended the deadline for foreigners and stateless persons who are in Russia illegally to regularize their legal status or leave the country.

The new deadline for regularizing their legal status is until September 10, 2025.

The previous decree required migrants to regularize their legal status by April 30; it was signed by Putin in December 2024. The document was a result of the tightening of Russia’s migration policy, which began in the spring of last year.

Since February 5, a special expulsion regime has been in effect in Russia for foreigners who are illegally in the country. Now decisions on expulsion can be made by the heads and deputies of territorial and transport police units, as well as the heads of migration services of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

As reported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, in 2024, there are about 630,000 illegal migrants in Russia. To encourage them to leave the country, the government launched a registry of controlled persons starting in 2025. Until the moment of deportation or voluntary departure, foreigners staying in Russia without the necessary documents are entered into the “registry of controlled persons.” Those in the registry face restrictions on certain rights and freedoms: for example, a ban on entering into or dissolving marriages, registering vehicles, and driving them.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs also noted that the number of labor migrants who were legally in Russia in 2023 does not exceed 3.5 million people. Most of them are natives of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan.