How is access to education restricted for migrant children in Russia? A new report by the Analytical Unit of the Network “Migration and Law” examines the mandatory Russian-language testing introduced for foreign children seeking to enroll in schools.
According to the report, the testing procedure has become a systemic barrier to education for migrant children across territories controlled by Russian authorities.
To enroll in school, children must now pass a language exam and meet numerous additional requirements, including:
• proof of legal residence
• official registration at a specific address
• confirmation of their and their parents’ legal status
• fingerprint registration and other documentation
• proof of legal residence
• official registration at a specific address
• confirmation of their and their parents’ legal status
• fingerprint registration and other documentation
The report notes that the exam itself is deeply flawed: its methodology is problematic, the format is unfriendly for children, and some tasks are ideologically biased.
Researchers conclude that the testing procedure is not simply a language assessment but part of a broader repressive migration policy. Schools are increasingly integrated into migration control systems, with information about children and their parents shared with the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
As a result, many foreign children are effectively denied access to education, while the policy also serves wider goals of migration control, surveillance, and ideological influence.
Read the full report below.
Language Proficiency Testing for Foreign Children as a Tool of Russian Repressive Migration Policy