On Some Issues of Citizenship and Legal Status of Foreigners in Russia

Abstract

Citizenship is an element of the constitutional status of a person, showing that a citizen has a full spectrum of rights and freedoms that are guaranteed by the Constitution and international legal acts. Thus procedures of considering issues of citizenship, namely, procedures of granting and termination of citizenship are of great significance. The aim of the article is to analyze the latest changes to the Russian Federal Law on citizenship and the status of foreign citizens in Russia, to formulate relevant conclusions and to forecast consequences of applying new rules. In particular, the procedure to facilitate the Ukrainian citizens to obtain Russian citizenship is discussed. The novelty, providing taking the oath by the person acquiring the citizenship of the Russian Federation positively assessed. The rules that expand and detailize the grounds for the cancellation of the decision on granting Russian citizenship are analyzed. In particular, the legislator’s approach to defining in the Russian Federal Law on Citizenship a list of terrorist crimes commission of which leads to the cancellation of the decision on granting Russian citizenship is discussed. This approach is not quite correct, since there are no criteria for selection of these acts. It is assumed that the legislator will be forced to add new crimes to this list. In general we see positive trends in the modernization of legislation on citizenship and legal status of foreign citizens in Russia. At the same time, the procedure for cancellation of the decision on granting the citizenship because of committing «terrorist crimes» should be adjusted.