Moreover, the low fertility rate, particularly if it continues, portends future difficulties for the country that stem from an unfavorable population structure. New migration patterns represent another dimension of Russia's post-Soviet population crisis. Migration trends have received less attention than fertility and mortality. Given the unremitting crisis in Russia's economy since 1991, it may surprise some that Russia has been a net recipient of migrants throughout the transition period. Although the migration rate peaked in 1994, it has been positive throughout the period and remained fairly stable in subsequent years.
Russian policy gives all Russian nationals the formal right to reside in Russia.
However, the FMS, which first and foremost fulfills monitoring and regulatory functions, is severely underfinanced and plagued by inconsistent practices in its regional offices. Net in-migration might be seen as a positive development insofar as it helps offset the natural decrease in Russia's population. However, Russia's constricted housing market, negative growth, and decaying infrastructure are ill-prepared for influxes of migrants. These effects are most strongly felt in the southern regions that border on the countries of the Transcaucasus and Central Asia. For centuries, Russians migrated in steady numbers from the European core to the northern and eastern regions.