Non-Russian accounting

New migration law comes into force

The Russian authorities did not miss the opportunity to use the terrorist attack on Dubrovka as a powerful argument in favor of the old idea about the need to tighten migration policy. Commenting the other day on the new law “On the legal status of foreign citizens in the Russian Federation,” which came into force on November 1, Interior Minister Boris Gryzlov emphasized that “uncontrolled migration in Russia, as in any country, is a threat to national security, and is interconnected with the problem terrorism multiplies this threat." “Strict consistent control over migration processes, including the intensification of the activities of our foreign missions, will be an element of a comprehensive response to it,” the minister said.

Let us remind you that from November 1, every non-Russian can be detained, fined and deported to his homeland if he does not have a migration card with him. This new document, which must be filled out by foreigners when crossing the state border of the Russian Federation, contains information about the place of stay, occupation and movements. The status of this paper will be so high that, according to the law, it can serve as an identity document if the “guest” does not have other documents with him. For foreigners who arrived in Russia earlier, the Ministry of Internal Affairs gives three months to obtain a migration card. True, they promise to severely punish for its absence only from July 1, 2003.

However, it is not unidentified migrants and potential terrorists that are of great interest to Russian authorities. “Currently, there is an unprecedented number of illegal labor migrants in Russia - up to 4 million people,” admitted the head of the Federal Migration Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, Andrei Chernenko. “But only 300 thousand are registered.” According to the new law, foreigners will have to pay 100 US dollars per year for the right to work. Officials have calculated that the Russian budget will be enriched by $30 million annually in this way. Given the seriousness of this amount, the Ministry of Internal Affairs intends to create a central data bank in which information on all foreigners will be collected from the authorities involved in registration and accounting.

The main difficulty for foreigners who want to live and work in Russia is, of course, not in filling out migration forms or even paying for a “work visa,” but in the complexity of obtaining all kinds of permits. The procedure prescribed by law includes several steps. First, to obtain temporary resident status, a foreigner must submit an application, which authorities can respond to within six months (with the exception of seasonal workers, who are promised to be processed faster). Permits are issued within the quota, which currently amounts to 530 thousand people for all regions. In turn, an employer who wants to use the services of a non-Russian must first apply to the district government or prefecture, then to the sectoral committee on migrants, then to the regional Interdepartmental Commission (here the quota for foreign labor for the enterprise is approved) and, finally, to the Federal Migration Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. And based on the papers received in all these instances, the Department of Migration Affairs at the Main Internal Affairs Directorate will issue a permit. If a job applicant was born in Russia, has a disabled Russian parent, or invests in the country’s economy, then his application will be considered as a priority. Permits for temporary and permanent residence in Russia will be denied to those who have previously been convicted of falsifying documents, were expelled from the country, or have been convicted of serious or especially serious crimes. Also, in order to settle in Russia, a foreigner will need to prove that he is not HIV-infected, a carrier of one of the dangerous infectious diseases, or a drug addict.

Kirill VASILENKO