Russia’s Interior Ministry has drafted a bill that, if adopted, would introduce stricter requirements for migrants who are deported from Russia to reimburse the costs of their own deportation.
Current Russia's entry-exit law turns to deportees first to request reimbursement but does not officially penalize them for refusing and allows for a string of other funding sources.
The new bill, posted on the federal portal of draft standard legal acts, would prohibit migrants from reentering Russia until they pay for their own removal from the country.
The public discussion of this initiative, which can take effect in July, has been extended until April 17.
About 10 million foreign nationals and stateless persons reportedly stay in Russia every year, while more than one million foreign citizens temporarily reside in the country.
Every year, about one million Tajik seasonal workers travel abroad seeking better employment opportunities, primarily to Russia but also to neighboring Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.
