| The Duma denied foreigners the right to acquire Russian citizenship in exchange for investments Only three deputies voted yesterday for a bill on granting Russian citizenship in a simplified manner to people who have invested money in the Russian economy. This initiative was introduced into the Duma of the previous convocation by now former deputies of the SPS faction Boris Nemtsov, Irina Khakamada and Boris Nadezhdin, as well as representatives of United Russia Vladislav Reznik, Farida Gainullina and Mikhail Bugera, who later withdrew their authorship.
According to Boris Nadezhdin, in the last Duma there was an agreement with United Russia to adopt this law, but taking into account the new realities, the right was simply abandoned.
“This law was simply promised to me by Surkov (deputy head of the presidential administration - Ed. ) and United Russia,” Nadezhdin told a correspondent of the Vremya Novostei newspaper. “I understand that circumstances have changed, Nadezhdin is not in the Duma, there is no need to negotiate with him and the old agreements can be forgotten.”
The right proposed that investors, unlike ordinary applicants for citizenship, should be allowed not to take an exam on knowledge of the Russian language (many State Duma deputies would hardly pass this exam), not to confirm the presence of a source of livelihood in Russia, and not to wait for citizenship for five years from the date of receipt residence permit. The authors of the bill wanted investors to obtain citizenship in a simplified manner if they meet two criteria: they undertake to comply with Russian legislation and are ready to renounce the citizenship of their country. Moreover, the second requirement is relevant only if there is no agreement on dual citizenship between Russia and this country.
The right-wingers delicately proposed that the government set the amount of investment required to easily obtain citizenship. However, according to Mr. Nadezhdin, the optimal amount should be comparable to the average cost of housing in the country. “Such a norm exists in almost all civilized countries; there is a common logic in all democracies. If a person has proven a desire to seriously live in the country, citizenship is given to him more easily. Proof is marriage, work and the purchase of real estate,” said Mr. Nadezhdin.
The relevant committee on constitutional legislation and state building recommended that the chamber reject the document. To justify this decision, deputy chairman of the committee Alexander Moskalets told deputies that such an approach is unacceptable “not only because it gives rise to corruption, but also because it is incompatible with the concept of the citizenship law.” The Duma patriots - the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and Rodina - warmly agreed with him.
“It was the villains who could only introduce this bill with malicious intent,” the former governor of the Krasnodar Territory, and now a communist deputy Nikolai Kondratenko, was indignant. In his deep conviction, “none of the Western investors will invest money in those sectors in the development of which Russia is really interested.” Vice-speaker from the Rodina faction Sergei Baburin was not interested in Western investors, but he was extremely concerned about Eastern ones: “We will open the doors to the legalization of illegal migration that comes primarily from China and Arab countries. The law is anti-national and anti-state and cannot be supported.”
The only one who put in a word for the right-wing proposal was unexpectedly deputy of the LDPR faction Alexey Ostrovsky: “Maybe it’s worth putting this issue on a legal footing? After all, not entirely respectable residents of Transcaucasia will still pay bribes to obtain citizenship.” Apocalyptic images of the invasion of Arab, Chinese and Caucasian investors culminated in the almost unanimous decision of the chamber to reject the bill.
Our “incorruptible” deputies refused to “trade our homeland.” Although for some reason such “trade” is not considered shameful in the USA, Great Britain, Canada, Australia and many other countries where you can obtain citizenship in a simplified manner by investing money in the national economy. And deputies continue to ignore President Putin’s repeated requests to soften the citizenship law in force since 2002.
So far, Russia is one of the top six countries in the world in terms of the number of people wishing to accept its citizenship. And this is the only decent indicator by which we are among the world leaders. However, the efforts of deputies will soon discourage foreigners from trying to legalize themselves in Russia.
How much is citizenship?
Many countries have a simplified procedure for obtaining citizenship for persons who have invested in the country's economy. The amount of investment is clearly fixed in state legislation. To become a citizen of France or Canada under a simplified procedure, you need to pay 150 thousand dollars, New Zealand - 495 thousand dollars, the USA - half a million dollars, Australia - 570 thousand dollars. The experience of the state of Belize, located on coast of the Caribbean Sea and known for its developed offshore legislation. To obtain Belizean citizenship, you must make a registration fee of $15,000 per person or $25,000 per family, and also pay another $25,000 as a gratuitous investment into the country's budget. Thus, Belizean citizenship will cost $40,000 for an individual and $50,000 for a family. At the same time, you can maintain dual citizenship. Ksenia VERETENNIKOVA |
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