The state program to assist the voluntary resettlement of compatriots is given strategic importance as a tool to overcome the demographic crisis and related socio-economic problems. At the same time, this program is not without organizational and legal shortcomings, which not only hinder its effective implementation, but can also serve as a catalyst for the development of illegal migration. The purpose of the study is to identify the factors of the Program that create prerequisites for illegal behavior and possible abuse of power in the migration sphere. The hypothesis put forward is confirmed by the analysis and generalization of judicial practice, which fixes the development of criminal schemes for creating channels for organizing illegal migration using the possibilities of the Program and involving officials. A content analysis of the migration situation in the Kaluga region, which has been implementing the project for a long time, showed an increase in social tension in the region due to an excessive concentration of foreign contingent that does not want to adapt in the host state. Based on the results of the study, the author concludes that there are serious miscalculations in migration policy. These include: the idea of voluntary resettlement of compatriots without assessing the accompanying and (or) derivative criminogenic risks - illegal migration and corruption in the migration sphere; instability and disunity of regulatory legislation that needs criminological expertise; problems of legal assessment of migration offenses, etc. In the short term, taking into account the sharply deteriorating political situation in the east of Ukraine in February 2022 and the ensuing evacuation of the civilian population to Russia from the DPR and LPR, it is advisable to monitor regional programs with their possible subsequent adaptation to address a specific tasks - the resettlement of compatriots from the selfproclaimed re-publics.