Minor migrants may face an entry ban in Russia

A bill restricting the entry of underage migrants into Russia has been submitted to the State Duma, "Kommersant" reported.

The draft law proposes to prohibit children of migrants from entering the country without their parents, legal guardians, or an accompanying adult with a notarized power of attorney issued by the family. Its authors argue that some teenagers enter Russia under the pretext of studying or receiving medical treatment but in reality seek employment. However, the government has expressed doubts that the initiative will address the issue of “child neglect.”

The bill was submitted by deputy Nina Ostanina and independent deputy Yaroslav Nilov, chairman of the Duma Committee on Labor. They also propose introducing the concept of a “minor foreign citizen” into Russian legislation. Under the draft, such children would only be allowed to enter Russia if accompanied by parents, guardians, or adults authorized by them. Exceptions would be made for education, medical treatment, and temporary stays such as participation in sports competitions, Olympiads, or tourism. The bill also stipulates that if a temporary residence permit for foreigners is revoked, their children would be deported together with them.

The explanatory note attached to the bill states that at present, minor foreigners may enter Russia either with their parents or independently, without consent. This situation, the deputies argue, leaves many children without legal representatives. In some cases, children reportedly entered the country on paper to study, but in fact sought work. Citing statistics, the deputies noted that in the first half of 2025, around 765,000 foreign children aged mainly 7–14 were present in Russia, most of them from Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. The Ministry of Internal Affairs added that in 2024, 1,500 children were placed in temporary detention centers for violating migration rules.

The government, however, has criticized the proposal. In its official conclusion, it noted that the current regulation allowing foreign children to enter without parents complies with international law and is essential for access to education, healthcare, and travel. Officials stressed that notarized powers of attorney cannot prevent children from being left unattended, there is no mechanism to verify their authenticity, and the statistics cited by the deputies lack details on the circumstances of children arriving without parents. As a result, the government concluded that the bill requires revision.

Earlier, deputies from several factions introduced another bill to the State Duma proposing that migrant children should pay for school education and limiting the number of free attempts to pass Russian-language proficiency tests.