Russia has raised immigration fees at unprecedented rates, according to a new law published by Russian media, which doubles the financial burden on foreign residents, including thousands of Arabs, and the increases came sharply and in some items reached more than 1000% compared to the previous fees.
Russian media reported that President Vladimir Putin has signed a law raising government fees on visa, residency and citizenship transactions, in a move that will directly affect hundreds of thousands of foreigners residing and wishing to work, study or settle in Russia, including large Arab communities, especially Syrian, Egyptian and Yemeni.
Russian authorities justified the increase by citing the Interior Ministry's high costs related to inspection and database maintenance, which will come into effect on July 26, at a time when experts have warned that this sharp increase in the cost of processing documents could push some migrants and employers to work in the informal sector.
Unprecedented increases
According to the law, published by Russian media, the cost of obtaining Russian citizenship jumped from 4.2 thousand rubles to 50 thousand rubles, while the fees for temporary residence permits increased from 1.92 thousand to 15 thousand rubles, the permanent residence document from 6 thousand to 30 thousand rubles, and the fees for entry invitations from 960 to 8 thousand rubles.
One article of the law stipulated an increase in the fees for the recruitment of foreign workers, as the employer had to pay 15,000 rubles per employee, while the increase was less severe in the entry visas, which increased from 1,200 to 2,000 rubles only.
The expected additional revenue from immigration to the federal budget is expected to reach about 7.915 billion rubles this year, and 15.83 billion rubles annually starting in 2027, knowing that (USD = 78.91 Russian rubles).
The Russian news agency RIA Novosti considered that each resident has his own calculations, according to his capabilities and priorities, without this implying a fundamental shift in the choices of those wishing to settle in the country.
Special exemptions
The law exempted foreigners and stateless persons formerly citizens of the Soviet Union who participated in the State Resettlement Programme of Citizens and their family members from paying fees for obtaining Russian citizenship, as well as foreigners and stateless persons recognized in accordance with the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation as important to Russia, as well as members of their families, from paying the fees for the issuance of a temporary residence permit or permanent residence permit.
Foreigners who signed a contract to serve in the Russian armed forces during the special military operation in Ukraine were also exempted from citizenship fees and residence permits.
15,000 Syrians living in Russia
Semi-official statistics estimate the number of Syrians residing in Russia at15,000, distributed among university students, investors, businessmen, workers, and employees of diplomatic missions.
Despite close ties between Moscow and Damascus, Russia has for years remained a limited destination for humanitarian asylum applications compared to Europe and neighbouring countries, and previous official data shows that some 9,100 Syrians hold regular residency within Russia, most of them students and investors who rely on stable study and business visas.
As for the asylum file, the number of applications submitted by Syrians to the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs jumped to become the first rank among advanced nationalities, driven by the political developments following the fall of the former Syrian regime at the end of 2024, where the number of applications submitted during the first half of 2025 increased to 1,841, compared to only 115 applications in the same period of 2024, an increase of nearly 1,500%.
On the other hand, obtaining permanent refugee status in Russia remains extremely rare, as human rights and UN reports indicate that the number of Syrians who have historically been granted this status is only a few individuals, due to the strict legal standards imposed by the Russian authorities in this regard.