Simplification of obtaining citizenship of the Russian Federation for Ukrainians is one of the few real chances to still get official status. Despite criticism from many Russian residents, living in our country is still much more comfortable than in most other countries. Including even Europe, in which the number of terrorist attacks, killings, robberies and so on has soared recently.
Primary status
The whole process of obtaining Russian citizenship begins since the moment of crossing the border. It is not recommended to indicate the purpose of arrival “tourism” or something similar on the migration card. Moreover, if you plan to file a patent for a job, you need to write. And vice versa, if you are not going to do this, then you should not write.
Citizenship of the Russian Federation for citizens of Ukraine without intermediate statuses is simply impossible and should begin with the legalization of the country. So, there are two main options: to obtain a patent for work or refugee status (temporary asylum). In the first case, everything is decided very quickly and no one will be expelled from the country until the end of the document without special reasons. However, there are problems. A patent in itself is not a guarantee that you will be hired. Moreover, as practice proves, in most cases such vacancies are offered at which the minimum wage. Fraud is also frequent. At the same time, you need to pay for the patent regularly, otherwise it will become invalid, with all the ensuing problems.
The second option, with asylum or refugee status, is practically free (with the exception of some payments to the state treasury), but it is not available in all regions. In addition, there are usually a lot of people who want it, and the migration service (now combined with the Ministry of Internal Affairs) simply cannot cope with the flow. As a result, the procedure can stretch for a year or more. And this despite the fact that you can stay in the country with a migration card for a maximum of 3 months. There is another option - to immediately submit documents to the RVP, which is good for Ukrainians. But the process of their consideration, the filing procedure itself and other features also usually go far beyond 3 months. There is no optimal solution. If the influx of those who wish is small, you can try "free" methods. Otherwise, only the patent option remains.
Resettlement program
After receiving any status, you can take the next step. The program for the resettlement of compatriots to Russia from Ukraine even presupposes the possibility of formalizing it in the homeland, but this is rarely accessible to anyone. Thus, as soon as the stay in the country is officially confirmed, there is registration and all the documents are on hand (when leaving, you need to take everything with you, from passports to the military registration and health books, marriage certificates, divorce certificates, and so on), we begin registration process.
The resettlement program is already such a status, which in principle is not necessary. But it greatly facilitates the future path and, among other things, gives the right to compensation for all paid state duties, and in some cases, even to lifting ones. The first problem is that not all regions have it at all. The second - the state is not always ready to grant such status to immigrants. So, if there is a family in which the parents (or at least one of them) work fully officially, show normal income, are prosperous, and so on, then the likelihood of becoming a member is regarded as great. But in all other cases, the chance to get the status tends to zero. But, as already mentioned, the simplification of obtaining Russian citizenship for Ukrainians does not require participation in it without fail.
Residence permit or RVP
The next step is to get a new status. In fact, there are two of them: residence permit (residence permit) and registration of temporary stay (RVP). They actually are not much different, but the first is much closer to citizenship and allows you to stay in the country for a long time. On the other hand, making it harder. As practice proves, while all the necessary documents for residence permit are collected, the other person will have time to draw up a RVP and apply for citizenship. Usually, the first option is used by those people who have not yet decided on their future fate and simply want to live quietly for several years, monitoring the further situation in the world. RVP, however, is chosen by those who are determined to obtain Russian citizenship as quickly as possible.
For citizens of Ukraine who have already received the status of a participant in the resettlement program, this is nothing complicated. But in other cases, you will need to somehow get a quota (and there are very few of them, and without them no one will do anything). It turns out that in some cases it will be more convenient to obtain a residence permit and apply for it further. It all depends on the current situation and the migrant.
Citizenship
This is the final stage. At this point, a person should have the following list of documents in hand. Citizenship of the Russian Federation in a simplified manner is impossible without them:
- A check for the payment of a state duty in the amount of 3,500 rubles per person. If you plan to receive compensation in the future, you should make a copy of it. When the inspector will accept the documents, you need to demand that she put on this paper her signature and stamp. This will confirm that you really handed over the original to the authorities.
- The original and a copy of the book “Temporary Asylum”, “Certificate of Refugee” or a passport of Ukraine with a note on the presence of a temporary residence permit. If non-Russian documents are used, then the original of a notarized translation must be attached to them.
- Birth certificate (of all members, from parents to children). Also translated and certified.
- Marriage certificate. All, no matter how many there are. Do not forget to translate and assure. All this is expensive, but without it in any way. Also, if there were several marriages, then you also need a certificate of divorce.
- A book of a participant in a state resettlement program, if any. Fortunately, at least you do not need to translate it.
- Refusal of citizenship of Ukraine. Actually, it was he who was simplified, so more on that below.
You should always remember that at any time any documents or their copies may be required. For example, the same military ID is not required at this stage, but if the inspector for some reason needs it, it is recommended to provide it. Of course, all the originals in almost all cases remain with you. We give only copies to the migration service. As a result, there should be a lot of them, and they all must also be notarized. Such an approach will be of substantial help in obtaining citizenship of the Russian Federation at any stage.
Ordinary copies may sometimes be required without certification, so there should be plenty of them. It is recommended to copy absolutely all pages, without exception. If they are not needed, it is easier to remove them than to urgently run and make additional copies. And this after not even hours or days, but months, standing in line.
Lifting and Compensation
Perhaps this is the most enjoyable and easiest stage. Of course, if you do not take into account the lines, which in some cases reach more than one and a half thousand people. Simplification of obtaining Russian citizenship for Ukrainians makes it possible to reimburse at least part of the costs. Naturally, the money that went to notaries, photocopies, and so on, no one will return, but you can get the state fee.
Particularly pleasing is the fact that all the documents are already on hand (especially copies will be required there, they should be stocked up), and you need to fill out only one small document. You can literally cope with this lesson in 10-15 minutes, but in order not to delay the queue, it is recommended to clarify in advance what and how to write and prepare it there.
Problems with registration
This is one of the most global troubles for those Ukrainians who have no relatives or friends in Russia. In all cases, after crossing the border, a person is given only 7 days to register somewhere. If you have relatives or good friends, then this will not be difficult. But without their presence, it is almost impossible to find those who want to register (albeit temporarily, and even without any consequences for themselves). By the way, if you are renting an apartment somewhere, you can request such actions from the owner. According to the law, he is already obliged to do this (but few people know about this). But here, as practice proves, everything is not easy. Since he should not provide you with assistance in obtaining citizenship of the Russian Federation, a significant part of people prefer to refuse to rent an apartment and not make a profit than to contact an incomprehensible registration.
Unfortunately, within the framework of everything described, the immigrant will begin to understand the laws much better than the local resident, but it will be practically impossible to convince him of his innocence. By the way, the same problem will arise at least 2 more times. First, after receiving the RVP, it will be necessary to issue the next temporary registration. Even if the previous one is still valid. Then, when a person obtains citizenship of the Russian Federation, he will need a residence permit (it is also registration) somewhere. This will be a prerequisite. True, the legislation does not provide for the fact that a citizen must be registered somewhere, but there is another side. Without this stamp in the passport, it will not be possible to get a job, arrange children in a kindergarten or school, receive medical care and so on. Well, no one canceled the fine. This is warned at the very last stages, but you need to prepare in advance.
Document Issues
An application for citizenship of the Russian Federation is one of the papers that is filled directly with the inspector. Again, you need to prepare for the fact that you have to mess with them a lot at every stage. Significantly worse is quite another - own documents. If the passport is expired, it is impossible to read the stamp, there are significant spots that distort the text, something is confused, street names are already outdated, and so on - all this can lead to failure.
In some cases, you have to request documents in Ukraine and wait until they are sent out (if at all), which shifts the time for obtaining a new status for an indefinite period. Documents for residence permit, temporary residence permit, citizenship or asylum should always be in perfect condition.
Simplification 2017
And now we turn to what we did just recently. Since it became much easier for Ukrainians to obtain Russian citizenship in 2017, their number increased. The bottom line is that, as mentioned above, in order to obtain such a status, a renunciation of citizenship is required. According to the official procedure, it is necessary to wait for the response of the state bodies of Ukraine that you are now “a man of the world” and only then submit documents further.
But the problem is that the consulate simply ignored written statements. Moreover, in order to lose citizenship, you had to personally go there, pay a lot of money (quite officially, not a bribe, as you might think) and only after that wait for many months. Now, the simplification of obtaining citizenship of the Russian Federation for Ukrainians makes it possible to do only with the fact that the person sent the application.
Tips & Tricks
One must be prepared to stand in line. Sometimes it’s just a list that you need to check in regularly. But since it’s all unofficial and it is led by those who wish, in some cases they will have to stand, alternating with relatives or friends for weeks. Day and night. The simplified acquisition of citizenship of the Russian Federation for Ukrainians in 2017, of course, made all the procedures a little easier, but globally did not affect anything.
When talking with the inspector, no matter how annoying he is, you need to be as polite as possible, but very persistent. Sometimes you need to repeat your question several times or demand to explain further actions more than once. If you start to be rude or rude, you can only achieve that the review will be delayed for an indefinite period and quite realistically can end in failure.
The need for copies and translations has already been written above, but this is such a point that needs to be mentioned again. In addition, even according to the most free scheme, you still have to pay a lot. On average, for the entire procedure, for each member of the family accounts for 10-15 thousand rubles. If a list is maintained, but you can’t wait any longer, you can offer yourself as a night watchman (or a list maintainer). As a rule, such people get an advantage and can pass before others.
Summary
The law on Russian citizenship for Ukrainians is full of various features and nuances. It is extremely difficult for a non-specialist to understand them all, but this must be done so as not to get into an uncomfortable situation. There have been times when due to mistakes by inspectors, lack of documents or many other reasons, a refusal has occurred.
Knowing the legislation, you can always insist on your own and still knock out the result that is required. In any case, all this seems complicated only at the very initial stages. As you move on to cherished citizenship, everything will become simpler and easier. Under optimal conditions, you can get this status in about 6-12 months from the start of registration. Of course, subject to the availability of all documents in perfect condition and the ability to regularly queue (almost all of this time).