Migration Amnesty as a Tool for Legalization of Unauthorized Immigrants: A Study of Russian Federation Experience

Abstract

This article is devoted to the issues of migration amnesty implementation in the context of legal regulation of migration. The purpose of the study is to determine the feasibility of further developing and improving legislative regulation on migration amnesty in the Russian Federation. The paper considered the current state and prospects for the development of the migration amnesty institution in the state in the context of foreign practices. Using the comparative legal method, systematic review methods, and political and legal analysis, the work analyzed the legal institutionalization and determinants of the application of migration amnesty in the Russian Federation, as well as the experience of other countries in carrying out migration amnesties. In addition, this study addressed the issue of the role of social work in the adaptation of migrants and the importance of implementing ethical standards (following the model of IASSW and IFSW normative documents). Currently, Russian legislation lacks a legal definition of migration amnesty and a procedure for its implementation, which formally took it beyond the legal plane. The results of the study demonstrate that to resolve the situation of labor migration in the country, it is necessary to develop a legal model of migration amnesty and consolidate it at the legislative level, detailing the procedure and content of actions in this area. This work makes a theoretical contribution to understanding the issues of migration amnesty as an element of interdisciplinary knowledge in the field of international relations theory, law, and sociology.