What restrictions came into effect for migrants in Russia from April 1?

New rules for migrants will come into force in Russia from April 1. Now, children will have to pass a Russian language exam before entering school, and foreign drivers will need to validate their qualifications. Additionally, there will be restrictions on the number of SIM cards, and the residency status of foreign citizens will be monitored more strictly. Asia-Plus has compiled and analyzed such legislative changes.

Migrant children will not be admitted to school without a Russian language exam

Now, foreign citizens' children will have to take a Russian language exam to enter Russian schools. It will be conducted in both oral and written forms, but first-grade students are exempted - they will only undergo an oral interview. If a child does not score enough points, they will not be admitted to school. A second exam can only be taken after three months. To pass the test, it is enough to score 3 out of 5 points.

Now foreigners can obtain no more than 10 SIM cards

Another news relates to mobile communications. Strict restrictions are now being imposed in Russia. Russian citizens can have no more than 20 SIM cards per person. Foreigners are limited to no more than 10. These restrictions were introduced because sometimes hundreds of numbers were registered to a single subscriber, allowing fraudsters to use SIM cards in gray schemes. According to Roskomnadzor, by September 2024, 24,900 people had more than 20 SIM cards.

Foreign driving licenses are no longer valid

From April 1, foreign driving licenses will be invalid for those who have had citizenship, a residence permit, or a temporary residence permit in Russia for one year or more.

To continue driving, it will now be necessary to pass a theoretical exam at the State Traffic Safety Inspection (GAI) and obtain a Russian driving license.

The same requirements apply to Russians who obtained a foreign driving license while residing abroad for an extended period.

If a driver does not exchange their documents, they will be fined up to 15,000 rubles and will be banned from driving until they obtain a Russian license.

Additionally, illegal migrants must legalize their status in Russia by the end of April. Now, there is a strict deadline for all migrants: they must regularize their legal status by April 30, 2025. Those who do not comply will be entered into a registry of monitored individuals, meaning they will be forced to leave the country.