Representatives of the Liberal-Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) propose to deport migrants at their own expense if the Russian language certificate got by a foreign citizen is found invalid.
The drafted a bill on this subject and submitted it for consideration to the State Duma (Russia’s lower chamber of parliament), Russkaya Gazeta reports.
It is explained that if an arriving foreigner lacks the means to leave, they will be deported at the expense of the diplomatic mission or consular office of the country of which they are a citizen.
“Only sought-after specialists who have taken the trouble to learn our language and the history of the country should come to us," said the LDPR leader Slutsky. “Those who entered Russia through deceit, came to engage in criminal activities, and bought their documents should be deported immediately without any cost to our budget.”
Another member of the State Duma from the LDPR, Vladimir Sipyagin, shares this opinion. “Only people ready to integrate into the cultural environment should come to us. Language plays a key role here. We need specialists who are in demand in the labor market but understand our values and traditions, are ready to learn Russian, and know the history of our country.”
“We see how the children of migrants go to school without knowing the language because their parents entered Russia through deceit, engage in semi-legal activities, or bought documents to stay in the country. They, of course, need to be deported. This gray channel of migration needs to be closed, including through legislation."
Meanwhile, a deputy from the United Russia Party, Jamaladin Gasanov, calls this proposal "quite radical."
"The proposals of my colleagues seem quite radical. Today, a foreign citizen can be deported if they violate the conditions of their stay in Russia. In such a case, they must leave Russia at their own expense within 15 days from the day they are notified of the annulment of their temporary residence permit or residence permit,” Gasanov noted.
According to him, a language certificate is a necessary condition for legal stay in Russia as a labor force. Recently, there have reportedly been cases of fraudulent examinations in Russian language, history, and the basics of Russian law to issue certificates to labor migrants.
“Here, it is necessary to strengthen control over the institutions that issue these certificates, rather than deporting migrants. Because it turns out that they are in a vulnerable position and cannot influence this situation, much less be held responsible for the unscrupulous work of certifying organizations,” Gasanov added. Начало формы
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Tajikistan is Central Asia's poorest country and one of the most remittance-dependent countries in the world.
Accurately determining the number of Tajik labor migrants in Russia is challenging due to significant discrepancies in official data from both countries.
Russian statistics indicate that more than 1.5 million Tajik citizens live and work in Russia, while Tajikistan’s relevant authorities claim the number is less than 1 million.
According to Tajikistan's Ministry of Labor, Migration and Employment of the Population, just over 600,000 people left the country for labor migration in 2023.
However, Russian migration authorities report that over 800,000 Tajik labor migrants entered Russia in search of work in the first nine months of the year alone.
