Participants in Russian repatriation program to be required to confirm Russian language proficiency

MOSCOW. Sept 15 (Interfax) - The Russian government has adjusted the conditions for participation in the state program for the voluntary repatriation of compatriots living abroad to Russia, and they will now be required to confirm their Russian language proficiency.

The relevant government decree was made available to Interfax.

"Beginning in 2024, compatriots wishing to be repatriated to Russia from other countries as part of the state program must confirm their Russian language proficiency," the decree said.

"If an individual does not have such documents [confirming their Russian language proficiency], they will have to pass an interview, following which an authorized commission will make a decision on the level of their Russian language proficiency," it said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an order on the requirement for compatriots to know the Russian language in order to participate in the repatriation program in March 2023.

It will apply to foreign citizens with the exception of citizens of Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan. In order to confirm their Russian language proficiency when applying for the repatriation program, they will need to present a document confirming that they were educated in Russia or a country which was part of the Soviet Union until September 1, 1991, or an educational certificate issued in another country where Russian is one of the state languages.