Why are Russians increasingly being denied a residence permit in Europe?

Recently, Russian citizens have been denied residency permits in Europe when they attempt to apply for them. The checks during the process have become significantly more stringent. Furthermore, the foreign policy situation is significantly impacting the situation. Alexandra Rustichenko , a migration program specialist and leading lawyer at the Migronium project, explains why this is happening and which countries offer Russians the best chance of obtaining a residence permit.

Currently, relocation programs to the EU are in great demand. This also applies to obtaining citizenship in a European state. This happened after the pandemic began. In addition, investors want to travel without special restrictions or want to provide themselves with a backup option in the form of a European passport or residence permit, since the global situation is currently unstable. Thus, the demand is formed by the coronavirus epidemic and sanctions, according to forecasts, will grow. But according to experts, Russians in most cases are refused or face certain difficulties during registration.

Adjustment of residence permit programs in some countries or their closure

Some states in which the residence permit program previously operated are making changes or closing the possibility of obtaining a residence permit:

• Last year, the Lithuanian government abolished the opportunity to exchange real estate investments for a residence permit. Experts say that many applicants since 2010 are Russian citizens who have issued about twenty thousand residence permits. According to experts, the program is being closed due to political confrontation between the Russian state and Europe.
• Bulgaria is also closing its citizenship project in 2022 for other reasons. It did not become popular and did not have the expected effect on the country's economy.
• The English project “Golden Visas” has closed. According to this program, the residence permit was exchanged for investment deposits. Back in February of this year, Great Britain developed a plan to abandon the project, because thanks to it, so-called “dirty” money was attracted into the country from Russian citizens and immigrants from some other countries.

European countries do not intend to issue residence permits to citizens who are involved in financial scandals and corruption. Including Russians. This is stated by the official representative of the company engaged in providing residence permit registration services. Additionally, he informed that at the official level the conditions had not changed, but there was an unspoken agreement that checks of Russian applicants would be more thorough. Due to the increased cost for participants in the residence permit program and too complex checks of applicants, changes were made to European projects: Maltese, Bulgarian, Portuguese. Programs are also being canceled due to statements from the European Commission. This organization is an opponent of investment immigration.

Tightening requirements

The situation is such that obtaining a European passport in exchange for investment is the most difficult option for official residence in the European Union.

In Malta, the issue of checking the applicant-investor was approached most strictly, with a lot of conditions. This includes providing financial history, transmitting data about the investor’s previous actions, and providing information about all business partners. Not every applicant is ready to share such data.

In Malta, you can get a refusal not only because of such a serious reason as, for example, a criminal record. They do not give the right to obtain a Maltese residence permit even if a civil suit was filed against the applicant in the past. Or the inspectors had at their disposal a photograph in which the applicant was captured with a compromising citizen.

Various documentation must be provided over a long period of time - from 10 to 15 years. That is, if the applicant is of advanced age, it will be possible to find the reason for the refusal.

Which country can you move to?

Loyal countries for Russian citizens are Serbia, Romania, Portugal. When investing in Serbian real estate located in a sparsely populated region, the investor has access to an additional 20 percent discount.

Citizens planning to organize a business in Portuguese territory are entitled to a tax holiday for ten years. In addition, tax on international income has been eliminated. Thanks to these conditions, Portugal remains an attractive destination for residence permits.

It is quite easy to enter the European Union through a Greek golden visa. To do this, you need to purchase real estate, the cost of which is 250 thousand euros, or invest money in the Greek economy.

It's also worth remembering that Romania has a repatriation program that allows you to obtain a European passport without any additional investment in just one year. If you're still unsure which country to move to, contact the migration agency Migronium for a free consultation.