Russia Home for over a Million Non-Citizens

At the present moment, 1.2 million people who are not citizens of the Russian Federation are living on its territory, Vladimir Shumov, head of the presidential citizenship department, said to reporters on Friday.

They have come to Russia after the 1991 law On Citizenship came into force. Now, in line with the current legislation, they have to receive national passports and undergo the procedure of issuance of residence permits in Russia, said Shumov.

Many of them "are mistaken in the belief that it is enough to settle in Russia, register their residence or stay and it is enough for the Russian citizenship," he noted.

At the present moment, an interdepartmental working group for improvement of the migration legislation is drawing up proposals to settle a legal status for such people, said Vladimir Shumov.

According to him, in 2002 law enforcers revealed 1,500 fake documents on Russian citizenship.

Over the last 10 years 4.9 million people have gained citizenship on the basis of the law On Citizenship in the Russian Federation, 3 million of them are residing in Russia and 1.9 million people beyond Russia. In all, 145 million people were recognized as Russian citizens when the law On Citizenship became effective.