Foreign students will not be asked about Russia
Foreign students will be issued a temporary residence permit in Russia not for three years, as other citizens arriving from abroad, but at once for the entire period of study. The State Duma approved in the first reading the bill. The trainees will also not have to confirm their knowledge of the Russian language, knowledge of Russian history and the basics of Russian legislation. In addition, after completion of the training such foreigners would be able to get a residence permit in Russia under a simplified procedure. According to experts, the removal of bureaucratic barriers will attract attention to studies in Russian universities, but it can lead to lowering the level of applicants.
The bill simplifying the regime of stay of foreign students in Russia was approved by the State Duma in the first reading. Now they receive a temporary residence permit (temporary residence permit) on a common basis within the quota established by the government. The term of validity of the temporary residence permit is three years.
In this case, these applicants will be exempt from the obligation to confirm their knowledge of the Russian language, knowledge of Russian history and the basics of Russian legislation, as well as to annually submit a notice of residency. In addition, they will have the right to obtain a residence permit in the Russian Federation within three years after graduation in a simplified procedure. If a student is expelled from the university, temporary residence permit will be canceled if the student will not enter another university within 30 days.
According to the Ministry of Education and Science, about 300 thousand foreign students study in Russia. Most foreigners come to study in the country from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and China. In an explanatory note to the bill states that in 2020, 265,056 foreign students were put on the migration registry. At the same time, all foreign students leaving Russia while studying must be removed from the registration at the place of stay and get registered again when they return to the country. However, representatives of universities often do not submit information about the arrival of a citizen in time, it becomes the basis for bringing him to administrative responsibility, the document says.
"The amendments to the law will relieve the burden on both the territorial bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, and the state educational or scientific", - says the explanatory note.
Irina Abankina, director of the Institute of Education Development of the National Research University Higher School of Economics, believes that the removal of "bureaucratic hurdles" will help attract students from abroad. "The idea to allow students to study for the whole term has been discussed for a long time," she says, "We know that quite a few post-Soviet countries, such as Kazakhstan and Armenia, are opening world-class universities, in their opinion. Of course, our barriers discourage students, and we are losing the competition. Students choose programs that are easier to enroll in and less bureaucratic, Ms. Abankina said.
The main purpose of students who go to study in other countries is socialization in the place where they want to go," says Nikolai Kulbaka, associate professor of political and public communications at the Institute of Social Sciences of RANEPA, "They are more interested in going to Europe or America. According to Mr. Kulbaka, studying in our country is attractive to citizens of the former Soviet Union - preferences may increase the number of incoming students from there.
According to Mrs. Abankina, the exemption from the obligation to confirm the fact of knowledge of Russian language will not affect the quality of students: "First of all, we are developing a segment of not only Russian-language education, but also study in other languages. In addition, universities now offer language and culture programs on a fee basis.
Source: https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/5079431