On June 13, 2012, the President of Russia approved the Concept of State Migration Policy of the Russian Federation for the period until 2025. The document was developed by the Federal Migration Service.
The Concept says that the new migration policy aims to compensate for the decline in the population of the country due to migrants, which was actually carried out over the past 20 years. Rosstat predicts that only 54-57% of the country's population will be able to work by 2030. It is also predicted that the population by that time will decrease by several million people, which is especially critical for the strategically important regions of Siberia and the Far East.
According to the authors of the document, at present, foreigners can legally come to work in Russia only for a short period. Now, those who wish to move to the Russian Federation for permanent residence are planning to give such an opportunity. According to statistics, 4-5 million of the 9.2 migrants work illegally in Russia. And the budget suffers huge losses due to tax evasion.
The document says about the need to promote the adaptation and integration of migrants in the Russian Federation. However, it is not specified exactly what number of visitors it is planned to adapt, and nothing is mentioned about their cultural and religious affiliation. Namely, on this basis, interethnic clashes in large and small settlements of Russia have recently become more frequent. While the integration of mentally similar Ukrainians, Belarusians and Moldavians does not cause difficulties, things are somewhat more complicated with representatives of the Caucasus.
The Concept, on the other hand, sets the task of countering illegal migration. Thus, it is planned to introduce an exam on knowledge of the Russian language, history and law of the Russian Federation for labor migrants by November 2012. Violators of migration laws will be extended with a ban on entry into the Russian Federation and, possibly, they will criminalize violation of this legislation. It is planned to strengthen the control over the registration of tenants in rented apartments in order to end the practice of settling several migrants in one apartment.
According to critics, the concept of selective migration is not disclosed in the document, there are no clear selection criteria. They believe that such an open migration policy creates the danger of the gradual dissolution of the Russian nation as such in other nations. Critics point out that low-skilled workers are mainly migrants. At first they agree to work for a small salary, but then their demands grow, and they begin to establish their own rules, as happened, for example, in France.
Some experts note that it would be possible to encourage the birth rate in the Russian Federation by improving the living standards of Russians, to give land in the Far East and Siberia to those wishing to cultivate them, and then foreigners would not have to compensate for the lack of labor. It would also help reduce unemployment among Russians. Also, repatriation could give an effect - encouraging the return of Russians to their homeland from other countries.
