Mass Inspections and Expulsions Expected in Russia from October 1

Russia will implement strict measures against foreign nationals and stateless persons who are illegally present in the country starting October 1. This was stated in an interview with Lragir.am by Tatevik Bezhanyan, an expert on labor migration programs at the Armenian Caritas charitable organization.

According to her, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the illegal stay of foreigners in Russia has been extended several times. Now, a new deadline has been set for October 1. “Now the deadline is given to foreigners to legalize their stay by September 30, which includes migration registration or legal employment, having any legal documents. Otherwise, starting October 1, expulsions and mass inspections will begin at workplaces to see if they are working legally, and those registered and on migration records will be subjected to mass inspections at their places of residence,” she said.

Bezhanyan stated that the punishment will take the form of expulsion. According to her, mass expulsions are expected. The same applies to those detained in facilities for foreigners. “This means that this applies to everyone, regardless of nationality and citizenship. Foreigners must legalize their presence in Russia by any means possible,” Bezhanyan added.

Referring to Armenian migrants in Russia, Tatevik Bezhanyan indicated that individuals who illegally crossed borders during the COVID-19 period face serious risks. “That is, they are those people who have traveled to Belarus and entered the Russian Federation via land routes. They usually acquire fake migration registrations, so to speak, from under the metro, which do not appear in any Russian authority's database. These individuals will face 3-6 years of imprisonment. Therefore, they must leave the Russian territory quickly, preferably by the route they took to enter. For this group, the best outcome would be expulsion, but imprisonment is also possible,” she noted.

Migrants in Russia work in various sectors, especially in construction. According to Tatevik Bezhanyan, starting October 1, inspections will occur across all sectors employing foreigners. “If I’m not mistaken, a joint directive has already been issued to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Migration Service, and security agencies so that mass inspections begin jointly from the first of the month,” she added.

Compared to the previous year, there has been a significant increase in the flow of labor migrants from Armenia to Russia this year. “I hope that the majority are at least legally residing in Russia. I would now find it difficult to present any numerical data regarding illegal migrants; I believe no one has that data at the moment. As of June, the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Russia, Alexey Garavoy, reported about 61,000 citizens from Armenia. I think that number is higher. If those mass expulsions begin, yes, the numbers will be large by the end of the year. There are only a few days left until October 1, and I advise our compatriots to either legalize their status or voluntarily leave the Russian territory to avoid expulsion,” Bezhanyan advised.