The number of Tajikistan nationals obtaining Russian citizenship is significantly increasing.
According to official Russian figures, 103,681 Tajik nationals obtained Russian citizenship last year. It’s a significant rise from five years ago, when about 30,000 Tajiks received Russian passports.
According to data provided by the Agency for Statistics under the President of Tajikistan, 63,681 nationals of Tajikistan obtained Russian citizenship in 2020, which is 63.5 percent fewer than in 2021.
Tajikistan allows dual Tajik-Russian citizenship.
The number of Tajiks who obtained Russian citizenship last year exceeds the entire population of Bokhtar, the capital of Khatlon province. The current population of Bokhtar is 113,400.
Besides, the Russian Interior Ministry has noted that 96,500 other Tajik nationals have obtained a Russian permanent residence permit.
It means that they are on the verge of getting the Russian citizenship, and most likely, they will become Russian nationals already this year.
A Russian permanent residence permit has a five-year validity period and can be extended without any limitation. However, just like the temporary residence visa, it must be authenticated on an annual basis.
Besides, 47,046 other Tajik nationals have temporary residence permits, which is the first step to obtaining citizenship.
In all, 735,400 foreign nationals obtained Russian citizenship. The top five countries whose nationals obtained Russia ciitzens last year are Ukraine – 375,989 people, Tajikistan — 103,681, Kazakhstan – 49,862, Armenia – 46,931, and Uzbekistan – 31,867. 46 тыс. 931 человек, Узбекистан – 31 тыс. 867
Russia simplifies the procedure for obtaining citizenship
The State Duma (Russia’s lower house of parliament) on April 5 approved the presidential bill on citizenship in the first reading. The initiative grants broad powers to the head of state in matters of citizenship, introduces the institution of the termination of citizenship and simplifies its acquisition for 20 categories.
Russian citizenship, according to the document, can be granted to people who speak Russian, know the history of the Russian Federation and the fundamentals of national legislation, undertake to abide by the Constitution and do not pose a threat to security and public order.
At the same time, the bill provides for a reduction in the number of requirements for more than 20 categories of people when they are admitted to citizenship of the Russian Federation. It concerns, in particular: citizens of the former USSR and their children; participants of the state program of voluntary resettlement of compatriots, people whose close relatives live in Russia and are its citizens; those whose relatives in the direct ascending line permanently resided in the territory of the Russian Empire or the USSR (within the state borders of modern Russia); who was born on the territory of the Russian Federation (territory of the RSFSR) before February 6, 1992.
It is clarified that the fact that these persons have foreign citizenship is not a basis for denying them recognition as citizens of the Russian Federation.
In addition, the powers of the President of the Russian Federation to determine the categories of persons who are entitled to a simplified acquisition of citizenship are being expanded. The head of state may determine the categories of such persons “not only for humanitarian purposes, but also for any other purpose.”
The document also introduces the institution of termination of Russian citizenship. It is assumed that for crimes in the sphere of trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and some serious crimes against the state, it will be possible to lose the passport of the Russian Federation. Citizenship can also be canceled if false documents were provided when applying.
