Anatoly Bublik, leader of the “Path Home” project: “The success of the new program depends on interagency cooperation”

MOSCOW, February 19. Civilization News Agency. TOPIC OF THE DAY. The President of Russia announced the creation of a special body to support the relocation of foreign specialists with in-demand skills. The decision was announced at a meeting of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives.

The head of state noted that, alongside promoting domestic talent, Russia would assist foreign citizens who share Russian cultural and value-based principles and are of value to our state. Starting in April, specialists of particular interest to the country will be able to apply to a specially authorized organization, with the Agency for Strategic Initiatives as its founder and operator. The Ministry of Internal Affairs will handle matters relating to legal status. The President also recalled that the relevant decree was signed in December last year.

Anatoly Bublik, leader of the “Path Home” movement, believes that establishing a separate body is a logical and timely decision, but that the practical implementation of the mechanism will be key.

“Decree No. 883 effectively introduces an instrument similar to the talent visas used in many countries. It is intended for people who are valuable to the state: specialists with achievements in science, technology, culture, sports, and business; investors; and skilled professionals with work experience. These could be engineers with patents, acclaimed cultural figures, international-level athletes, or highly educated specialists, including graduates of leading universities worldwide. Even a skilled worker with vocational education and experience in their field may fall under the decree,” he explained.

According to him, the new mechanism will allow such specialists to obtain a temporary residence permit without taking a Russian-language exam, or to receive a residence permit immediately through a simplified procedure, without lengthy document collection.

“The procedure involves submitting an application to a specially established autonomous nonprofit organization, which will assess the candidate’s value to the country and submit a recommendation to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The documents will then undergo interagency approval, including by security agencies, after which a decision will be made on granting status. In effect, this introduces a new migration policy instrument that did not previously exist in Russia,” Bublik noted.

The expert emphasized that the most important task at the initial stage will be establishing effective interagency cooperation.
“One organization will accept the documents, while the Ministry of Internal Affairs, security agencies, and other departments will review them. Coordination difficulties traditionally arise here. It is difficult to assess how quickly staff will be able to respond to requests. At the same time, the Ministry of Internal Affairs is already facing a heavy workload, and the new mechanism will inevitably increase it; the question of staffing remains open,” he said.
He also drew attention to the possibility of a substantial flow of applications from different countries.
“The organization may receive thousands of applications in different languages—from countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The decree effectively opens the opportunity to submit documents to citizens from all over the world. This means a considerable volume of information to process, as well as the need for clear criteria for assessing candidates and mechanisms for supporting specialists after they relocate,” the expert explained.

In his view, if successfully implemented, the new instrument could significantly increase the influx of skilled professionals into Russia.
“Experience with previous initiatives shows that there is demand. That is why it is very important to prepare the system for launch in advance so that it operates smoothly. Russia truly needs to attract talented, proactive, and highly skilled people, and we hope the new mechanism will become an effective tool for achieving this goal,” Bublik concluded.

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