According to Rosstat, in 2021, 125 thousand people received temporary asylum on the territory of the Russian Federation. Another 14 thousand citizens received the status of forced migrants. But only 600 people were able to obtain refugee status.
Ukrainian citizens account for 123 thousand asylum seekers, 184 internally displaced persons and 166 refugees. The decrease in the number of refugees in Russia is due to bureaucratic delays that make the procedure complicated and lengthy. In this article we will tell you how to obtain refugee status and what benefits it provides.
Where do Ukrainian refugees come to?
In any city in Russia, refugees from Ukraine are provided with assistance by government officials . Among Ukrainians who left their homeland due to the military conflict, the cities of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Rostov-on-Don, Yekaterinburg, Sevastopol, and Belgorod are popular. In Moscow, the Russians themselves offer help to refugees from Ukraine: they give clothes, furniture, household appliances, help with housing and work.
Ukrainians seeking asylum come to visit relatives, friends and volunteers who are ready to shelter their neighbors in trouble. Temporary accommodation points are also located along the Russian-Ukrainian border.
When entering the country, a foreigner must have with him:
- passport or other identification document;
- international passport;
- migration card.
Important ! If a person left the country urgently and did not have time to pick up his documents, then at temporary accommodation centers he will receive the necessary medical care and assistance in restoring documents. This will be handled by employees of the Main Directorate for Migration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.
“This is Russia, I need money.” Who is helping refugees survive during coronavirus?
Booz Kalulu, together with his mother Joly, aunt Agatha and brother Basil, has been living in Russia for the last 10 years. He is a refugee, not according to documents, but due to circumstances. Booz has little memory of why his family had to leave the country. According to my mother’s stories, she knows that local authorities have begun to persecute my relatives.
Jolie decided to flee to Russia because she had studied here before and it was easier to get a visa. Here her son Basil was born. Together with her sister Agatha and her children, Jolie lived illegally in Russia for almost 10 years. Temporary asylum was only now obtained. And this is not permanent refugee status: after a year, you will need to obtain documents again.
Before the pandemic, a significant part of the work of the Civic Assistance Committee was aimed at providing legal assistance. However, with the introduction of quarantine, those trying to obtain the legal right to be in the country are faced with new serious problems. Showing solidarity with the most vulnerable groups in Russia, the European Union, along with other organizations, has joined forces with the committee to provide assistance to refugees and migrants. Work with EU support is carried out in three areas. Without official status, a refugee does not have health insurance, which means he can only be helped by ambulance. And also because refugees without status often work unofficially, they are among the first to lose their source of income, which means the ability to pay rent and even food.
It turned out that help is needed not only for those who have lived in Russia for a long time, but especially for those who abandoned here shortly before the outbreak of the epidemic. They try to provide help right away. All you have to do is submit an application.
So far, requests for help are only increasing. Booz says that before the pandemic, his mother and aunt mainly made money by braiding African hair. Now there are almost no clients, and money is needed not only for food, but also for an apartment.
You can send money for humanitarian aid to refugees on the Civic Assistance website. Now we have managed to collect more than one and a half million rubles. This aid is enough for almost five hundred people. Every donation is, among other things, an opportunity for those who were forced to lose their home to find it here in Russia. And after the pandemic, when everything returns to normal, this will help refugees start a new life here. The organization "Civic Assistance" is recognized as a foreign agent by the Russian Ministry of Justice.
Don't be afraid to be free. Make a donation.
How to obtain refugee status
You must contact the border service, the migration department of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs or the diplomatic embassy/consulate.
Petition
Submitted in writing. This document indicates the applicant’s personal details and citizenship. If a citizen of Ukraine came with minor children or incapacitated relatives, their data must also be included in the document.
Important ! The application is submitted only in Russian. If the applicant does not know it, he will be provided with a translator.
Preliminary review
Within five days, Russian specialists carry out the preliminary examination of the application. An authorized officer checks the data provided by the applicant and studies the internal political situation in the country from which he came.
As a result of the preliminary consideration, the migration service officer makes a decision on further consideration of the application. If it is positive, within 24 hours the applicant receives a review of the application for refugee recognition.
Documentation
A passport for yourself and family members is enough. But the more documents you provide, the greater the chances of getting a positive decision. The applicant's fingerprints and photographs, a medical certificate and a questionnaire are attached to the personal file.
Consideration on the merits
The procedure lasts a maximum of three months if the citizen is present on the territory of Russia and two months if he is outside its borders.
Grounds for refusal
The following may be denied refugee status:
- if a criminal case has been initiated against the applicant on the territory of the Russian Federation;
- there are no circumstances necessary to grant the status;
- in UN countries the applicant has already received a refusal;
- the person has the citizenship of another country other than Ukraine and can request its protection;
- the applicant came from a country in which he could apply for status;
- when crossing the border illegally;
- if the applicant refuses to provide information about himself;
- if the applicant’s spouse is a citizen of the Russian Federation, this circumstance will allow him to immediately apply for temporary residence.
The applicant will receive a refusal within three days after its acceptance.
Refugee ID
If a positive decision is received, the citizen will be issued a refugee certificate. The document is issued only in paper form and contains information from the application form, data on the passport and other documents, photograph, fingerprints, gender, marital status, personal signature, when, by whom and by what authority the document was issued, expiration date.
For reference ! Refugee status does not have a limited duration. The certificate must be changed every three years.
Who are refugees
To begin with, it would be useful to understand the difference between refugees and those who ask for a particular territory. In the second case, the basis for providing shelter is the following:
- the presence of motives for requesting refugee status if the applicant wishes to obtain short-term asylum;
- impossibility of expelling the applicant from the country for humanitarian reasons. For example, a person is seriously ill and cannot receive help in his country of citizenship or is fleeing events that threaten his life - military operations, epidemics, famine.
Refugees are people who want to escape a threat to their personal lives. So, let's say, these could be witnesses of military operations or political figures who are being persecuted by the authorities and law enforcement officers.
Today, residents of several countries at once cross the Russian border in search of shelter - Ukraine, Syria, Afghanistan. And if the Russian authorities are accommodating to the citizens of the once fraternal Ukrainian republic, it is much more difficult for representatives of the other two powers to settle in the Russian Federation.
What does refugee status give?
Staying in the Russian Federation as a refugee entails a number of rights and responsibilities for foreign citizens. First of all, in order to obtain such status, it is necessary to prove that there is a threat to life and health. Arguments can include photographs and video materials, printed materials, and personal correspondence.
issued for three years with the right to further extension for another year. It usually takes 3 months for the application to be processed. During this period, the applicant is issued a certificate confirming that his documents are aimed at studying and making a decision.
If it turns out to be positive, the applicant will receive a certificate and the opportunity to freely live and work in the Russian Federation. Moreover, he will even be able to leave Russian territory. But his civilian passport will be confiscated for storage in the Main Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Already at the stage of consideration of the request, all candidates can count on assistance to refugees in the Russian Federation:
- one-time benefit;
- free medical care;
- placement of children in schools and kindergartens;
- obtaining a position in a Russian company.
Before filing a petition to seek protection, you need to understand in detail what exactly promises you.
Obtaining a temporary residence permit
Migration services issue temporary residence permits under and outside the quota. Quotas are approved annually by the Government of the Russian Federation. A simplified regime (outside the quota) requires serious reasons.
According to quota
In 2021, 110 thousand foreigners can receive temporary residence permits under quotas. In the two Russian capitals and on the Crimean peninsula, the quota is fixed. Other regions set a quota according to how many people they can accommodate.
Out of quota
Ukrainians can obtain a permit outside the quota:
- those born on the territory of Russia and the RSFSR and formerly having citizenship of the USSR;
- having incapacitated parents or minor/incompetent children with Russian citizenship;
- incompetent parents of Russian citizens;
- having Russian spouses;
- under the program of resettlement of compatriots;
- businessmen who are ready to invest large sums in priority sectors.
Documentation
The first stage is submitting documents.
You will need:
- application for a temporary residence permit;
- a copy of the refugee certificate;
- application for a quota, if available;
- two photos;
- health certificate;
- receipt of payment of state duty (1600 rubles);
- marriage and birth certificates;
- certificate received after passing the Russian language exam.
The maximum period for making a decision on issuing a temporary residence permit to a Ukrainian is 6 months. When a positive decision is issued, a stamp is placed on the certificate.
Afterwards you need to register at your place of residence and issue a TIN.
At the same time, a Ukrainian can have both refugee status and a temporary residence permit. The status is extended, but if this is refused, the citizen must urgently contact the migration service and return his civil passport. A stamp indicating receipt of the temporary residence permit will be added to the document.
Attention ! A temporary residence permit is issued for three years without the possibility of extension.
Employment
No work permits are required. Refugees can register with the employment service. It is easier for highly qualified and highly specialized specialists to find work. For example, doctors and teachers.
Job openings for nannies, caregivers, janitors, cooks and assistants, kitchen workers, waiters, salespeople, and drivers are also relevant for refugees. Popular areas include industry and construction.
Employment opportunities for refugees
According to Russian legislation, in order to get a job in Russia, you need to apply. Refugees, however, belong to the category of citizens for whom such a document is a certificate of refugee status. There are no restrictions for immigrants in terms of employment, with the exception of civil service and vacancies related to government administration and service in law enforcement agencies.
We offer you to understand in more detail what positions are available to new arrivals, how relations with the employer will be formalized, and also how to find.
A big advantage is the fact that in the current conditions, many employers are ready to provide a workplace along with housing. But it is worth remembering that any employment relationship must be formalized in accordance with the requirements of the law on the employment of foreign citizens.
Learn all the intricacies of labor legislation, taxation and the relationship between the two parties.
