Russian International Migration Challenges

Research objective of the thesis is to identify unclear causes of Russian migration system (migration system here I observe like a set of legal tools, methods, and state authorities’ structures that are aimed at legal regulation of migration processes taking into account the national interests of the Russian Federation) inefficiency and answer the question why the migration system works with flaws. In the paper the author observed the main trends of current international immigration to Russia, traced the history of migration policy changing and its impact on the migration flows, and analyzed the impact of migration flows on the Russian demography and economy. The novelty of the work lies in the fact that the author takes a comprehensive approach to the problem of migration efficiency, considering it from the point of migration legislation, demography, and economy, and identifies the main problems that prevent the state from getting the maximum benefit from migrants. Migration flows are permanently changing and depend on many factors, so migration should be constantly studied, and the migration system should be modernized to respond in time to new, sometimes expected and predictable, and sometimes completely unpredictable (such as the COVID-19 epidemic) challenges. After analyzing the migration policy, demographic situation, and economy in Russia, the author identified five main aspects that need the attention of the authorities and the search for solutions to them and proposed her own thoughts for its solution: (1) Lack of consistency in the implementation of migration policy. (2) Lack of migrants to compensate for population decline. (3) Lack of a clear system of differentiated selection of migrants. (4) Lack of a flexible and transparent mechanism for obtaining a residence permit. (5) Lack of integration policy in Russia against the background of immigrant-phobia.