Law to create additional mechanisms for countering illegal migration and ensuring public security

The Federal Law is designed to create additional mechanisms for countering illegal migration and ensuring public security.

In particular, the law aims to guarantee the proportionality and inevitability of punishment, introduces further qualifying factors for crimes, such as committing an act with the purpose of concealing another crime or to facilitate its commission, using forged documents, or involving seizure, concealment, or destruction of identity documents, as well as using information and telecommunications networks, including the Internet. Such acts are categorised as serious crimes and carry a maximum sentence of up to ten year in prison. Moreover, greater liability is introduced for organising illegal migration as part of an organised group or with the intent of committing serious or extremely serious crimes within the Russian Federation. These acts will be classified as extremely serious crimes, punishable by up to 15 years' imprisonment and fines up to five million rubles.

Furthermore, the maximum term of imprisonment for crimes associated with the false registration and record filing of foreign citizens and stateless persons has been increased from three to five years. The law also prescribes greater liability for the forgery, production, or sale of forged documents when carried out by a group of individuals acting in collusion or as part of an organised group, with the intent to conceal another crime or to facilitate its commission.