In 2017, the Russians filed a record number of applications for asylum in the US

In 2017, the Russians filed a record number of asylum applications in the United States for the entire post-Soviet period.

Фото: Depositphotos

Compared to 2016, the number of such requests increased by 39% a year, writes “Radio Liberty”, Referring to the statistics received from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

According to these data, the number of requests for asylum from Russians increased dramatically after Vladimir Putin once again became President of Russia in 2012.

The US immigration authorities in 2017 for the fiscal year received 2664 new asylum applications from Russian citizens. This is more in 2,5 than in the 2012 year. The 2017 data of the year also broke the record for the entire post-Soviet history of Russia, established in 1994, when the Russians filed applications for asylum to the American 2112 authorities.

USCIS does not specify the reasons why people seek asylum, although the service has specified that to obtain it it is necessary to prove “persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution” in the applicant’s home country “on the basis of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group.” .

Human rights activists and immigration lawyers believe that the increase in the number of applications for asylum from Russians in the United States is partly due to the law on sexual minorities and the “prohibition of gay propaganda” adopted in 2013 year.

They responded to the record about the record in the Kremlin, questioning the accuracy of media information.

The Kremlin does not trust media reports about the growing number of Russians who turn to the United States for asylum, writes “Interfax".

When asked to comment on this situation, press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov said: “Now there is a sea of ​​false information, everything needs to be approached very carefully. It’s hardly possible to immediately trust these publications.”

2664 asylum claims in the United States represent a tiny percentage of Russia's total 144 million population.

But according to this indicator, the US is ahead of all the countries of the European Union, except Germany. According to the EU immigration authorities, for the year 2017, Germany received 4885 applications from more than 12 600 asylum applications filed by Russians in all 28 EU member states.

“About 90% of Russian citizens who applied for asylum in Germany are ethnic Chechens who enter the EU through the Belarusian-Polish border,” explained Olga Gulina, head of the Berlin Institute for Migration Policy.

But in the US, people from different regions of Russia are seeking asylum.

According to Gulina, the “humanitarian migration” of Russians to Europe is largely “hidden.”

“People choose not to apply for asylum. They prefer to look for other mechanisms, including educational programs,” Gulina said.

A January study by the Academy of National Economy and Public Administration under the President of the Russian Federation states that in the past five years, about 100 000 Russians leave their homeland annually, 40% of these people have a higher education.

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