The Institution of Repatriate Status in Russia’s Migration and Demographic Policy

The relevance of the study is determined by the introduction of a special repatriate status into the State Resettlement Programme, which changes the institutional model of return migration and affects demographic sustainability, regional integration and social security. The problem is that Russian law contains no single federal law on repatriation: the regime is formed through constitutional support for compatriots abroad, legislation on compatriots, migration and citizenship law, presidential decrees, governmental and ministerial acts, and regional programmes. The purpose of the article is to identify the institutional model of repatriate status as a channel of return migration and to assess its significance for Russia's migration and demographic policy. The study is based on normative-institutional, socio-legal and comparative approaches; the legal materials are analysed as of 15 June 2026. The article systematizes the categories of repatriates, the regulatory architecture of the regime, the differences between the general and special procedures for participation in the State Programme, the migration-law consequences of the status and regional support measures. It shows that repatriate status combines a qualified link with Russia, freedom to choose a region and simplified migration entry with a reduced federal package of guarantees. The novelty of the study lies in presenting the repatriate regime as a federal-regional model in which the basic status is defined at the federal level, while actual integration largely depends on the support of Russian regions. The practical significance lies in substantiating the need to unify evidentiary procedures, monitor regional measures and assess the demographic effects of the regime.