5HSRUWRQ5XVVLD 6.2 Miscellaneous 6.2.1 Dual/multiple citizenship Given the present relaxed regulations regarding dual citizenship, it is to be expected that Russian citizenship legislation will be made more rigorous. At present, there appear to be no intentions among Russian policymakers to prohibit dual citizenship, but some Russian politicians suggest limiting the political rights of holders of dual citizenship. Thus, according to Russian legislation, foreign citizens cannot enter the civil service in Russia but there is no legal liability for violation of this provision. There are also several provisions when the citizen has to declare information regarding ownership of dual citizenship. There is also no single provision regarding the legal responsibility of the applicant for submission of the wrong information or failure to disclose the right information. 6.2.2 Citizenship for compatriots In 2006 the Russian authorities announced the start of a state program to facilitate the voluntary resettlement of compatriots living outside the Russian Federation (Drozdova 2009). The main goal of the program is to unite compatriots living abroad, with the aim of developing selected Russian regions (Merkulova 2011; Wasil'yev, Yakovlev 2010). There are several groups who are considered to be compatriots. According to the law compatriots are understood to be all persons and their descendants living abroad who have historically lived in the territory of the Russian Federation. Compatriots are also those people who chose to engage in a spiritual, cultural and legal relationship with Russia. Compatriots are also considered to be those persons whose direct relatives previously lived on the territory of the Russian Federation, were citizens of the USSR, lived in the states which were part of the USSR, obtained citizenship of these states or become stateless persons, and also expatriates (emigrants) from the Russian Empire, the Russian republic, RSFSR, the USSR and the Russian Federation, having the corresponding citizenship and who afterwards become citizens of a foreign state or stateless persons. Thus, the concept of the compatriot is not limited merely to people of Russian nationality (i.e. ethnicity).71 It was originally planned that the program would run from 2006 until the end of 2012 (Ryazantsev, Grebenyuk 2007). Officials in the Russian government recently announced their intention to modify this program to make it applicable on a permanent basis. The developers of the program originally estimated that 300,000 people would be resettled a year. However, the actual numbers have been quite different: during the entire period from 2006-2011 only 62,500 people moved to Russia (as of 31.12.2011).72 In 2009 about 90,00 compatriots were resettled in Russia, in 2010 – 13,000 people, in 2011 - about 31,400. Thus, there is a considerable gap between the planned and real number of migrating compatriots to Russia,73 which is due to a number of reasons. Among the main problems is an applicable naturalisation procedure established ad hoc for compatriots resettled into Russia. Formally the simplified naturalisation procedure has been outlined in federal legislation (without a five-year-requirement of residence in the Russian Federation, without confirmation of a legal source of income and without a language requirement). However, in practice the procedure is long and difficult for resettlers. 71 The Federal Law from 24 May 1999 of N 99-FZ ‘About a state policy of the Russian Federation concerning compatriots abroad’ [T#-#+&$6"'@ 9&;)" )/ 24 =&2 1999 %. N 99-TG "B %).8-&+./*#"")@ ()$1/1;# ?)..1@.;)@ T#-#+&D11 * )/")>#"11 .))/#<#./*#""1;)* 9& +8:#,)="]. 72 Svetlana Sibina. Chemodannoye mood. Every third immigrant chooses as a place of residence Siberia and the Far East. It is published in RG (Economy of Siberia). No.5670. 29.12.2011 [A*#/$&"& A1:1"&. \#=)-&"")# "&./+)#"1#. K&,-'@ /+#/1@ (#+#.#$#"#D *':1+&#/ =#./)= ,1/#$6./*& A1:1+6 1 S&$6"1@ H)./);. B(8:$1;)*&") * ?3 (R;)")=1;& A1:1+1) N5670 )/ 29 -#;&:+2 2011 %.] http://www.rg.ru/2011/12/29/reg-sibfo/migranty.html 73 Federal Migration Service of Russia. Monitoring of implementation of the program [TVA ?T: V)"1/)+1"% +#&$19&D11 (+)%+&=='] - http://www.fms.gov.ru/programs/fmsuds/files/monitoring_2011.pdf 56&$6(8'2&,7&5‹$XWKRU