Under new regulations that came into force on December 29, 2021, all foreigner workers are required to undergo fingerprinting and extensive medical exams within 30 days of arrival in Russia. While residence permit holders and foreign workers with labor patents – the Russian term for a temporary work permit – had already been required to undergo medical testing in the past, all foreign citizens and their families (with the notable exception of Belarusians) are now forced to complete thorough medical examinations.
The mandatory medical exam includes testing for HIV, tuberculosis, venereal diseases, drug use and COVID-19. As part of the drug screening procedure, migrants are examined by a psychiatrist for visible signs of drug use. The new rules stipulate that all migrant children over the age of five must also be screened for drugs and sexually transmitted diseases along with their parents.
These expanded testing requirements and other procedural changes to existing migration laws are placing an additional burden on migrant workers from Central Asia’s nations.
Eurasianet notes that after a significant drop in numbers in 2020 due to pandemic-induced travel restrictions, Russian government statistics show that over 7.8 million citizens of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan entered Russia for work in 2021. Comparable numbers of new and returning Central Asian labor migrants are expected to come to Russia in 2022 – all of them will be required to pay for these medical examinations at government-approved Russian medical centers before being allowed to work.
In Moscow, completing all the medical examinations can cost upwards of 6,200 rubles ($78), a significant sum for most labor migrants. Previously labor migrants who did not complete their health check on time could get away with paying a fine, but under the new rules anyone who fails to get tested or tests positive for an infectious disease or illegal substance during the medical examination will have their work permit automatically revoked.
According to official date from the Russian authorities, some 1.6 million Tajik citizens entered Russia to work last year. It’s a figure that many observers had suspected but had never before been reflected in official statistics, which usually record around 1 million.
Labor migrants are a critical component in the economy of Tajikistan and remittances keep many families at home above the poverty line.
