Russia mulls stringent rules for citizenship

Russia is mulling bills to make procedures for citizenship stringent and levying fines on migrants, an Itar-Tass report said Friday. The State Duma Lower House of Russian Parliament today debated several bills which will make strict the procedure for levying fines on migrants and the applicants requirements for Russian citizenship. The House will also ratify the agreement with Vietnam on labour migrants. To make the execution of the court rulings more efficient the deputies propose to decide that a fine imposed on a foreign citizen or a stateless citizen simultaneously with the deportation from Russia should be paid no later than the next day since the court announces its verdict. Currently the fine should be paid within 30 days after the court verdict. The explanatory note to the bill, which is being debated in the first reading, holds that more than 17,000 court verdicts for the deportation of foreigners from Russia were passed in the Federal Bailiff Service in 2012. The bill expanding the list of reasons for turning down an application from a foreigner for Russian citizenship is put up for second main reading.