Fewer citizens, more fines: Foreigners' interest in Russian citizenship is rapidly declining.

In 2025, Russian citizenship was received 152,4 thousand foreigners. This is on 27,1 % less than in 2024, the Ministry of Internal Affairs reports. And the trend of declining interest has been observed since 2022, when citizens became 691 тыс. foreigners, in 2023 - 378 тыс., and in 2024 - 209 thousand. person.

Moreover, the decline in interest affected all forms of long-term residence in Russia: a residence permit was issued in 2025 156,2 thousands of people (27,3% less than in 2024), and temporary residence permits were issued 31,3 thousands (-29,7%). The total number of foreigners legally residing in the country decreased by 8,6% and now stands at 5,7 млн human.

However, the overall fines for violations of immigration policy are growing. 5,7 billion rubles in 2025 against 3,4 billion In 2024, the number of migration-related offenses exceeded one million—mostly violations of entry and stay regulations.

Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, policies toward migrants have become more stringent. High-ranking officials simultaneously claim that "Russia is a multinational country" and "the diaspora is an organized crime group." And the head of the "A Just Russia – For Truth!" party Sergey Mironov He even suggested creating a migration police force from among the SVEO officers.

Migrants in many regions have already been banned from working in almost all sectors. And from 2027 to 2029, Russia is planning to conduct an experiment: foreigners and stateless persons will only be able to work through organized recruitment overseen by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. An exception is planned for Moscow.