Future of migrants in Russia: New laws, new challenges Life “behind the fence”

The State Duma is preparing laws that will tighten the conditions for foreign workers in Russia. Who needs these laws, and what consequences might they bring? These proposed bills include a ban on granting low-skilled "guest workers" residence permits (RP) or Russian citizenship. There is also a proposal to isolate them in special closed settlements, along with other restrictive measures.

"The whole family, the entire clan – back home..."

The preparation of a package of new laws imposing restrictions on workers from CIS countries is being carried out by the faction A Just Russia – For Truth (SRZP). The draft laws suggest that unskilled foreign workers, organized and brought into Russia by companies, will be deprived of the right to obtain residence permits or Russian citizenship. Additionally, workers arriving through organized labor recruitment will be prohibited from bringing their family members. They will only be allowed to stay in Russia for the duration of their employment contract. After the contract expires or is terminated early, the employer will be obligated to ensure that the foreign worker leaves the country. Transferring to another employer will also be prohibited. If a worker refuses to continue employment or attempts to switch industries, they will be required to leave Russia within 15 days.

The SRZP proposal also includes measures to tighten the living conditions of migrant workers. A ban on the free movement of foreign workers across Russian territory, and even within the region where they work, will be introduced. Foreign workers will only be allowed to live in closed, specialized labor settlements.

Labor migrants will still be required to take exams on the Russian language, history, and culture of Russia, with stricter oversight of this process. A draft law has also been prepared in the Duma, prohibiting the enrollment of migrant children into schools without knowledge of the Russian language. They will undergo mandatory testing before being admitted to educational institutions.

The chairman of A Just Russia, Sergey Mironov, also proposed introducing visas for citizens of Central Asian countries and deporting not only the migrant committing a crime but also all their relatives. He phrased this proposal as follows: "The whole family, the entire clan – back home." Additionally, it was suggested to impose a five-year ban on acquiring firearms and receiving maternity capital, even for those who have obtained Russian citizenship.

Members of the LDPR are also keeping pace with their SRZP colleagues. They have initiated a bill outlining new rules for renting housing to migrant workers. Specifically, it includes a ban on renting apartments to migrants for longer than one year and limits the time they can stay with relatives to one month instead of six.

The Human Rights Council (!) and the Investigative Committee of Russia are also actively supporting the tightening of measures against labor migrants.

Deportation regime

As of January 1, 2025, new restrictions for migrants came into effect in Russia. A government decree has shortened the allowed stay of labor migrants to 90 days instead of the previous 180. On February 5, a deportation regime was also implemented, in addition to the existing deportation and administrative expulsion measures. This regime includes the creation of a special registry for migrants whose stay has expired or whose documents are overdue. Those placed in the registry will face restrictions, such as a ban on driving, purchasing property, opening a bank account, obtaining loans, and marrying. The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) will monitor individuals subject to deportation. Migrants themselves will be required to notify the police and send a photo with geolocation. Police officers will have the right to enter the migrants' residences, access their payment systems, and more. These measures will not apply to those who have submitted biometric data, passed medical exams, and have not been denied a work patent, temporary residence permit (RVP), or residence permit.

In 2025, both federal and regional quotas for the employment of foreigners in various sectors have been tightened. In the Moscow region, foreign workers, with the exception of citizens of the EAEU (Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan), as well as holders of temporary residence permits (RVP), residence permits (VNZ), and highly qualified specialists, are not allowed to work in hospitality, healthcare, education, and social services organizations. Employers must notify the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) about the hiring or dismissal of foreign workers, and they are permitted to work only in the region where their permit was issued.

By 2024, one-third of Russian regions had already banned foreign workers from engaging in passenger transport, working in alcohol and tobacco retail, hospitality, and food production. Meanwhile, 80% of Russian regions are experiencing a shortage of drivers in taxi fleets.

The "wave of migrant crime" — myth or reality?

The justification for tightening the regime for labor migrants is based on claims of an alleged increase in migrant crime, the need to prioritize employment for Russian citizens, the desire to reduce the economy’s dependence on foreign labor, and the alleged reluctance of migrants to adopt Russian culture and traditions. Sergey Mironov, leader of SRZP, also stated that several Central Asian countries are "strengthening their cooperation with NATO countries," and therefore migration from these states is taking on the characteristics of "hybrid warfare."

The current legislative measures follow a large-scale campaign against "migrants," launched by nationalist media and related organizations. Anti-immigrant sentiments, particularly, intensified after the terrorist attack at Crocus in March 2024, carried out by ISIS supporters from Tajikistan.

The main accusation against labor migrants from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is that they allegedly worsen the crime situation in Russia. However, in 2020, for example, foreigners and stateless individuals accounted for only 1.6% of all registered crimes. Among migrants, only 0.5% committed crimes, compared to around 1.3% among Russian citizens. Moreover, two-thirds of crimes committed by foreigners were violations of migration laws and petty thefts in stores. Nevertheless, in recent times, far-right bloggers and Telegram channels have been actively spreading information about an alleged sharp increase in "migrant crime." Let’s take a look at the actual numbers.

In 2017, foreigners and stateless individuals committed 41,000 crimes; in 2018, 38,500; in 2019, 34,900; in 2020, 34,500; in 2021, 36,400; in 2022, 40,100; in 2023, 38,900; and in 2024, 38,500. We can observe a decrease in the number of crimes committed by foreigners between 2017 and 2020. A spike in offenses was recorded in 2022. However, it is important to note that during the pandemic years, a ban on deporting violators was in place, and raids on migrants were not conducted. With the resumption of these activities in 2022, crime statistics rose again, primarily due to "paper" violations, such as expired documents, lack of registration, and the like.

By 2023-2024, the number of crimes committed by migrants started to decrease again. In 2023, foreigners committed 0.3% fewer crimes than the previous year, and in 2024, the number decreased by another 0.9%.

Nevertheless, social tension surrounding migrants in Russia continues to be deliberately and systematically inflamed by certain political and media structures.

Foreign workers and nationalists

All the measures to tighten rules for foreign workers are being implemented against the backdrop of a serious labor shortage in Russia. The demand for workers has become even more acute due to the ongoing armed conflict with Ukraine. As of early 2024, the country was facing a shortfall of around 700,000 to 750,000 workers. Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin acknowledged that there is a shortage of between 200,000 and 400,000 workers in the construction industry alone. Over the next five years, Russian companies will require more than 3 million workers.

At the same time, the number of workers under the age of 39 is expected to decrease by 4 to 5 million over the same period. In light of this, the leadership of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs has already proposed allowing adolescents to work in harmful and dangerous industries.

However, those who advocate for the rights of labor migrants are often labeled as "foreign agents" and "lobbyists" by nationalist speakers. But is the stirring of interethnic tensions and the complicating of relations with CIS countries now part of a "patriotic mission"? Some of these countries have already reacted sharply with negative responses.

In Uzbekistan, the leader of the "Milliy Tiklanish" party, Alisher Qodirov, stated: "Most of our migrants work in Russia, many of them are young. But there, all the conditions are being created to complicate their work. If we return 80 sums out of 100, what benefit is there from this? We can pull them out of there. Learn English — with it, at least you can go to Germany."

However, Uzbeks and other labor migrants are leaving Russia even without such calls. According to the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, while there were about 12 million migrants in the country in the early 2020s, by 2024, this number had decreased to around 6 million. This means that their number has halved. And in just the past year — amid difficulties with money transfers, stricter migration policies, and the rise of xenophobic rhetoric — around 2 million foreign workers have left Russia. The largest number of migrants arriving in Russia over the past five years came from Uzbekistan, followed by Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Azerbaijan ranks sixth.

At the same time, there are differing approaches within Russia's highest echelons of power regarding the solution to this issue. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov opposes the introduction of visas for labor migrants from Central Asia and the South Caucasus, emphasizing that this does not align with Russia's interests. In his view, while migrant behavior needs to be monitored more strictly, this should be done "without creating artificial obstacles in relations with our closest allies," Lavrov noted.

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his stance on labor migration by saying: "It is necessary for all migrants to unquestionably respect our laws and the traditions of the peoples of the Russian Federation. And the relevant authorities should monitor their compliance and respond promptly to violations. We also need to create decent, humane conditions for these migrants."

Putin proposed improving conditions for migrants, noting that the issue could negatively impact both individuals and the state. However, he emphasized that the interests of the local population must come first.

Undoubtedly, the issue exists: the field of labor migration in Russia requires order to be restored, including the elimination of violations and abuses. This includes addressing the criminal component and the challenges related to international terrorism. However, measures aimed at isolating workers from former Soviet republics in special labor settlements are unlikely to increase their loyalty. In conditions of effectively restricted freedom, how can they fully embrace the culture and traditions of Russia?

In fact, life "behind the fence" could indeed create a fertile environment for recruiters from criminal and radical organizations. Wouldn't it be better for Russian authorities and lawmakers to focus on the often blatant violations of the rights of foreign workers?

There is a simpler and fairer solution to the problem: if foreign workers were put on equal footing with locals in terms of wages and social protection, employers would lose the temptation to exploit their now less cheap labor.

Unfortunately, much of what is happening today around labor migration increasingly resembles a populist campaign initiated by certain nationalist forces. Such a policy, which effectively leads to isolationism, neither aligns with Russia's economic and national interests nor with its relations with friendly states.