Access of refugees and displaced persons to socio-economic rights in the Russian Federation

Abstract

Based on analysis of the valid Russian legislation regulating the status of refugees and displaced persons, one can make a conclusion that guarantees of their socio-economic status correspond to generally recognized norms of international law and the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. Russian legislation stems from the fact that access to socio-economic rights of a refugee is defined by his/her status of a foreign citizen or stateless person. Therefore, in most cases access to the indicated rights is carried out in accordance with the regime established for foreign citizens. However, in some cases (right to retirement benefits, right to social security, right to medical services) a refugee is given additional rights analogous to rights of Russian citizens. This approach to identification of socio-economic status of refugees corresponds to the requirements of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees.