Difficulties of migrants in Saint Petersburg in obtaining a patent

Hundreds of labor migrants from Central Asian countries, especially from Tajikistan, are unable to obtain work permits in St. Petersburg on time.

On July 16, 2025, Tajik labor migrants complained that they faced insurmountable difficulties in obtaining a work permit from the Migration Department of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the city of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region.

As shown in video appeals from some Tajik labor migrants and photos and videos published on social media, migrants stand in line for hours to timely process their documents, but they are unsuccessful.

The footage shows dozens of labor migrants who have approached the department for obtaining a permit or other types of work authorization waiting in long lines under difficult conditions.

Some of the footage also shows that some migrants, tired of the long wait and disappointed in their ability to obtain documents on time, lie directly on the floor in adjacent rooms or waiting areas.

Among the migrants who approached the Migration Department of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the city of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region for permits or other documents are elderly people and even gray-haired old men. However, according to the migrants themselves, the attitude of the responsible staff, despite such difficult conditions, worsens day by day, and they are unaffected by the plight of the migrants facing difficulties.

It should be noted that Russian authorities increasingly treat labor migrants from Central Asia, especially from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, harshly, humiliating them and showing excessive strictness towards them since the moment of their entry into the country. With each passing day, it becomes more difficult to obtain a work permit and other work authorizations.

This alarming situation is not only characteristic of St. Petersburg. In other major cities in Russia, such as Moscow and its suburbs, the situation for migrants is just as bad, and sometimes even worse.