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Who is considered a refugee? What should you do if you desire to apply for asylum in Russia? Russia joined the “Convention on the Status of Refugees” in 1992 and passed the law “On refugees” in 1993. Therefore, Russia has assumed the obligation to protect this social group.

On this webpage, we intend to walk you through all you need to know about a Russia refugee visa, including eligibility and requirements.

Who is considered a refugee?

According to the 1951 United Nations Convention, if you are outside the country of your nationality or do not have specific citizenship, and the following conditions apply to you, you will be considered a refugee:

  • You have good reason to worry that you may be persecuted because of your race, nationality, social group membership, religion, or political views in your origin country
  • You are unable or unwilling to return to your home country due to these fears
  • Due to such concerns, you are unable or unwilling to obtain the necessary protection from your home country
Steps to apply for a Russia refugee visa

Where to apply for a Russia refugee visa?

To acquire asylum in Russia, you have to submit an application for refugee status at one of the available regional offices of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, Main Directorate for Migration.

When should you apply for a Russia refugee visa?

As soon as possible after arriving in Russia. Although the law allows you to apply for asylum at any time, in practice, many people are administratively liable before attempting to apply for refugee status. For example, if your visa has expired or you are not registered in your place of residence.

Before you apply for asylum, it is essential to know that:

  • Everyone has the right to access the procedure, which means that there is no reason to deny someone access to the refugee status application procedure, even if they violate the rules of staying in Russia or do not have the identification card with themselves.
  • Asylum seekers also have the right to receive help from non-state representatives, receive free translation services, be sent to a temporary accommodation center, and receive free accommodation, food, and medical services at the center.

Although there is no legal basis for refusing to accept the Application, and the Federal law ” On Refugees ” does not require refugees to have a passport when applying for asylum to the Ministry of the Internal Affairs, people must show the following documents:

  • The Application for recognition as a refugee, explaining why they had to abandon their homeland;
  • During the Application, two photographs should be taken in black and white or color, the size is 35 × 45 mm;
  • National passport or other documents that prove the identity of foreign citizens or a stateless individual (together with the translation).

Russia refugee visa application process

The steps to apply for a Russia refugee visa include but are not limited to:

Identification of the applicant

You should prove your identity, including fingerprints and photographs, and consultation with the databases of the Federal Service for Migration, Federal Security Service, and Ministry of the Internal Affairs, which include:

  • Interview, completion of a basic form of questions and an in-depth questionnaire
  • Subsequent personal interviews and additional interviews are also possible but happen rarely
  • Consideration of the Application, during which the applicant can provide additional documents to provide evidence of what is said in the interview; consisting of two steps:
  1. A preliminary review of the Application (In 5 working days from the date of receipt of the Application);
  2. Review of the Application based on the merits (In 3 months from the date of the decision on the review of Application)
  3. A certificate will be issued to the applicant during the review of the Application. It has a period of 3 months, which gives you the right to stay legally in Russia; within these three months, the refugee ID must be deposited with the immigration service for these three given months;
  4. The decision to grant refugee status will be given in 3 days from the date of adoption.

Exceptional cases may include further steps.

Russia refugee visa rejection

Suppose you have been denied to enter the procedure or not granted asylum after your Application is reviewed. Under these circumstances, you have the right to appeal the actions and omissions of officials to higher authorities or the courts.

The court or higher authorities can review your case again, and they will decide whether to grant you refugee status or not. If you were given one, the procedure of granting you a certificate of residing for three months will begin in a short while.

Let’s recap!

Applying for a Russia refugee visa is not difficult at all, however, you can receive the visa easier if you know all the rules and exceptions. We hope this webpage has helped you through the way.

If you have further questions regarding a Russia refuge visa, feel free to ask our consultants in the comments or the online chat section. Visit the menu of the website to know more about the other types of visas worldwide.

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