MOSCOW, July 23. /TASS/. The lower chamber of the Russian parliament, the State Duma, on Tuesday passed in the third and final reading a bill simplifying the procedure for obtaining Russian residence permit to certain types of foreigners and stateless persons.

First of all, the simplified procedure applies to persons born in the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (one of the 15 republics of the Soviet Union) and who had the Soviet citizenship in the past. It is also applicable to people under 18, whose parents either reside in Russia permanently or have applied for a residence permit together with their children, and also to individuals, whose parents or children are Russian citizens, living on the country’s territory.

In addition, a residence permit will be issued under the simplified procedure to Russian speakers and to individuals illegally deported from Crimea and their relatives.

Another category eligible for a Russian residence permit are individuals aged 18 or younger, adjudged incapable in the course of a legitimate procedure in a foreign country, whose parents have either applied for Russian citizenship or are permanently staying on the Russian territory.

Stateless persons who had Soviet citizenship as of September 5, 1991, who arrived in Russia before November 1, 2002 but have not applied for Russian citizenship can also count on a Russian residence permit under the bill.

Simplified residence permit procedure was also introduced for skilled professionals, who spent no less than six months working in Russia, and for their family members.

The processing period for a residence permit request was reduced from the current six months to four.

Besides, the new bill also introduces an indefinite residence permit. However, such permits will be annulled if a foreign citizen who obtained it fails to notify migration authorities about his place of residence within every period of two years.

In addition, residence permits for individuals born in Russia, married to Russian citizens and/or investing into the Russian economy in the amounts determined by the government will not be included into the Russian government’s quota. This list also includes those who entered military service in Russia or are taking part in the state program for resettlement of compatriots, as well as citizens of Ukraine or stateless persons from the country, who received the refugee status and were granted asylum in Russia.

State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin earlier said that those "whose roots are Russian, who are speaking Russian, who have relatives here, who were educated here and are ready to work for the benefit of Russia must be protected from bureaucratic red-tape. "All documents necessary for those people’s stay in Russia must be prepared within the shortest possible timeframe," he added

Earlier, President Vladimir Putin tasked the Russian authorities with preparing and amending the legislative basis for such cases.