Russia to expand digital control system over migrants nationwide

Russia is set to expand its digital control system for monitoring migrants beyond Moscow and the Moscow region,  said Boris Titov – Special Envoy of the Russian President for relations with International Organizations for the Achievement of Sustainable Development Goals.

Titov noted that the expansion of this system is in line with the Migration Policy Concept until 2030, a strategic framework approved by presidential decree. The policy envisions the phased implementation of digital surveillance tools across other Russian regions, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

“The Migration Policy Concept until 2030, approved by presidential decree, provides for the launch of a digital control system for migrants. Such a system is already in place in Moscow and the Moscow region, and a schedule for its implementation in other regions will be prepared,” Titov stated.

He emphasized that digital oversight is not an end but rather a means to improve the management of labor migration. “Digital control is not an end in itself, but a tool: knowing the actual place of work and residence of migrants, the state will be able to reorganise labour migration in a new way, reducing bureaucracy and expanding direct contacts between employers and foreign workers,” he explained.

According to Titov, once the system is fully operational and refined, the process for concluding annual employment contracts with foreign workers should be simplified. These contracts would exclude family accompaniment, social guarantees, or citizenship pathways, while maintaining the strict 365-day stay limit.

“In the context of a labor shortage, such steps are long overdue,” he concluded.

By Vafa Guliyeva