The Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Education join forces to monitor migrant children

Starting in 2026, an important regulation will come into force in Russia, changing the way records are kept for underage foreign nationals. The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Education will regularly exchange data on migrant children residing in the country. This innovation comes amid a significant decrease in the number of foreign children—almost 25% compared with the beginning of 2025.

Under the new mechanism, the Ministry of Internal Affairs will provide the Ministry of Education with information on children's migration registration, as well as their deregistration. This will make it possible to identify needs in educational institutions more quickly and provide migrant children with the necessary support. In turn, the Ministry of Education will inform law enforcement agencies about applications for admission to schools and colleges, the results of Russian-language proficiency tests, and cases in which students are enrolled or expelled.

As State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin noted, this system of automatic information exchange is intended to increase the transparency and effectiveness of foreign nationals' registration. The new mechanism will allow the authorities to promptly monitor the legality of both children and their parents staying on Russian territory.

Irina Volk, the official representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, stressed that the legislative changes are aimed at strengthening oversight of the stay of minors in the country.