Russia plans to reduce the number of exams for migrants

A State Duma deputy has proposed to cancel the practice of unlimited attempts to pass exams on the Russian language.

The chairman of the party “Fair Russia—For Truth,” Sergey Mironov, called for limiting the number of attempts for foreigners to pass the exam on the Russian language, history, and the fundamentals of Russian legislation.

According to him, the current rules do not provide for restrictions on the number of attempts to pass the exam, although this is a key condition for legalizing their stay in the country. For this reason, many migrants view it merely as a formal procedure, the parliamentarian stated.

Mironov’s party has appealed to the head of the Russian government, Mikhail Mishustin, with a proposal to reduce the number of attempts to pass the exam to three. According to the deputy, the exam should serve as a real tool for assessing the knowledge necessary for integration into the Russian legal and linguistic space.

In addition, Sergey Mironov, as always, cited a number of examples of violations, including cases of illegal issuance of certificates of Russian language proficiency, counterfeit documents, work permits, and language certificates in Moscow, and proposed to tighten control over exams for foreigners.

According to new rules, starting from January 1, 2026, migrants in Russia will be able to take the Russian language proficiency test on computers and using remote technologies at 203 locations across all regions of the Russian Federation and beyond.

It was previously reported that from October to December 2025, 35.5% of foreign citizens were unable to pass the Russian language exam on their first attempt.

The “Fair Russia—For Truth” party is the author of several bills aimed at tightening migration policy and advocates for a ban on attracting labor migrants in socially significant sectors such as construction and transportation services. In addition, the chairman of the “Fair Russia—For Truth” party, Sergey Mironov, has repeatedly expressed support for introducing a visa regime with Central Asian countries.

Sergey Mironov has also proposed a ban on diasporas in Russia and a rotational work method for migrants based on the principle of “arrived—worked—left.” Furthermore, Sergey Mironov has repeatedly stated that entry into Russia should only be allowed for those migrants who have biometric data and paid medical insurance, and they should also be charged a special amount in advance in case of possible deportation, so that this procedure is not carried out “at the expense of Russian taxpayers.”