Life of foreign students in Russia will be easier
The total number of foreign students receiving higher education in Russia has increased by more than 26,000 over the past three years. So, in 2019, 298 thousand foreign students studied in Russia, in 2020 - 315 thousand, in 2021 - 324 thousand. Most of all in Russian universities there are students from Kazakhstan (61 thousand), Uzbekistan (48.7 thousand) and China (32.6 thousand). And very soon the stay in Russia for foreign students will become even more convenient!
The new amendments to the federal law “On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation” should make it much easier for foreign students to obtain and formalize their status in Russia. And most importantly, the new law provides for the issuance of a temporary residence permit for the purpose of obtaining education (RVPO). A new document will be issued in addition to the established quota. If it is available, it will not be required to submit an annual notice of residence, there will be no need to take off and then re-register for migration when leaving for another city or home for the holidays, and much more.
RVPO will be provided to foreign students for the entire period of study and for another 180 days. A special regime applies to a student in case of transfer to another university. In addition, the presence of this document will enable foreigners not to take exams that prove their knowledge of the Russian language, knowledge of the history and legislation of the country, and will also free them from the need to submit annual notifications of residence.
Also, the RVPO will allow its holder to obtain a residence permit in Russia under a simplified procedure, the benefit will be valid for three years after issue. To date, Russian citizenship under a simplified procedure can only be obtained by residents of Ukraine (President Vladimir Putin signed the corresponding decree on July 11), the DPR and the LPR.
In accordance with the new law, it is universities and scientific organizations that have more responsibility for administering the relationship between their students and migration services. When transferring from one organization to another or extending the term of study, the international departments are responsible for the timely submission of student data. And, if they do not provide a certificate of enrollment of the student within 30 days, the RVPO may be canceled.
The difficulty lies in the fact that previously universities did not have the obligation to issue such a certificate within the specified period. In connection with the redistribution of responsibilities and changes in the technology of migration registration of foreign students, adjustments will be made to by-laws and orders of ministries. It will also be necessary to make changes to the Labor and Tax Codes. Therefore, the law will enter into force only after 180 days from the date of publication.
