On October 1, the State Duma passed in the second reading a bill establishing a minimum duration of marriage with a Russian citizen for obtaining a temporary residence permit (TRP) under a simplified procedure. The document aims to deprive foreigners of the opportunity to legalize their stay in Russia through sham marriages with Russians seeking illegal earnings. So far, one-third of all applications for temporary residence permits in Russia have been based on marriage certificates. Current laws allow for obtaining a TRP within two to four months. Of course, it cannot be ruled out that some marriages are based on genuine love. However, not all of them are. Marriage to a Russian woman grants a migrant the right to reside in our country and then, eventually, to obtain a Russian passport. The new law changes the situation: a minimum of three years of marriage with a Russian citizen will be required to obtain a TRP under the simplified procedure. At the same time, to obtain a residence permit (RP), it is proposed to confirm in court the fact of cohabitation with a spouse (or partner) and child (Russian citizens) for the same period of time. The law also prescribes that TRPs and RPs be revoked if the marriage is ruled fictitious by a court. It is worth noting that the first reading version of the bill specified a two-year marriage duration, but legislators then extended this period by another year. “Currently, entering into a sham marriage without the intention to create a family or arranging a fake adoption are some of the loopholes used for illegal migration,” emphasized the author of this amendment, State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin. “There are companies that provide such services for money. This needs to be stopped. If foreigners want to live in our country, then they must know the Russian language, laws, respect the culture, and traditions. And marriage should be entered into solely for the purpose of creating a family.”