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Migration to Russia exceeds one million: Influx offsets population decline

More than one million people were granted Russian citizenship in 2012-2017

© Valeriy Sharifulin/TASS

MOSCOW, October 31. /TASS/. More than one million people were granted Russian citizenship in 2012-2017, while the net migration during the period reached 1.6 mln, says a presidential decree dubbed: "On the 2019-2025 Concept of Russia’s State Migration Policy", which has been posted on the Kremlin’s website.

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"In 2012-2017, more than one million people were granted Russian citizenship, with 525,000 receiving citizenship in accordance with a state program aimed at facilitating the voluntary resettlement of compatriots living abroad. The net migration reached 1.6 mln during that period," the document reads.

The average annual number of labor migrants is about three million (3-4% of the average annual labor force). About 10 million foreign nationals and stateless persons stay in Russia every year, while more than one million foreign citizens temporarily reside in the country, the document notes. "In 2012-2017, the migration inflow to Russia made up for the natural population decline and provided additional labor resources for the national economy," the announcement said.

On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced, addressing the Sixth World Congress of Russian Compatriots Living Abroad that he had signed a new migration policy concept aimed at creating conditions for compatriots’ resettlement in Russia, outlining clear rules for entering the country and obtaining rights to residency, work permits and Russian citizenship.

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