Russia races to tighten migrant laws as State Duma prioritises related bills

Speaker of Russia's State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, has submitted a draft law on amendments to Russia’s migration policy to the relevant parliamentary committee, which will be reviewed by MPs on a priority basis.

According to the Duma press service, Volodin emphasised that improving migration policy is one of the lower chamber’s key priorities, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

The draft has been referred to the Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration, and Relations with Compatriots for urgent review.

The initiative proposes changes to the federal law “On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation.” Under the proposed amendments, labour migrants would be required to pay a fixed advance tax not only for themselves, as is currently the case, but also for each dependent family member residing in Russia. The legal residence period for both the worker and their family members would be directly linked to the duration of the labour contract.

Additionally, if the law is adopted, children of foreign citizens who reach 18 years of age would be required to leave Russia within 30 days unless they have legal grounds to remain, regardless of any employment relationship. The proposal also includes revoking a work permit or patent for a foreign citizen if there is no information on their declared income or if their reported income is less than the living wage multiplied by the regional coefficient, calculated for the worker and each dependent family member.

By Khagan Isayev