MOSCOW, April 21 (RAPSI) – President Vladimir Putin has signed a citizenship facilitation law for compatriots who speak Russian fluently and who live/lived in the Soviet Union or in the pre-1917 revolution Russian Empire within the state borders of modern Russia.

Foreign nationals and stateless persons will be invited for an interview with a special commission on the status of Russian speakers. To be recognized as a Russian speaker, they must speak Russian within both the family and the public environments.

Other people are also eligible for the interviews including those whose ascendants (parents, grandfathers/grandmothers, etc.) live/lived in the Soviet Union or in the former Russian Empire within the state borders of modern Russia.

“To facilitate the citizenship procedure for the above persons, they will be offered favorable terms of entry into Russia and extended temporary stay permits, as well as a simplified procedure for receiving a residence permit,” reads a briefing paper on the law.