Russia is changing its migration legislation against the backdrop of the terrorist attack at “Krokus City Hall”

Deportation, quotas, QR codes, cancellation of the visa-free regime, and genomic registration of migrants – this is not an exhaustive list of all initiatives from lawmakers in the Russian Federation (according to materials from “Asia-Plus”)

Vice-Speaker of the State Duma from the “New People” party Vladislav Davankov expressed the idea of deporting migrants for “the slightest offenses” and introducing digital control over them. “Vedomosti” reported that the deputy chairman of the State Duma committee on regional policy and local self-government from the CPRF, Mikhail Matveev, noted that the number of migrants should be such that it can be “realistically controlled,” while committee member on security Mikhail Sheremet calls for temporarily restricting the entry of migrants into Russia during the special military operation, as reported by “Novye Izvestia.”

“Novye Izvestia” also reports that Sheremet proposes to check all passports issued in the last 5 years with the revocation of Russian citizenship for law violators. He also advocated for the need to tighten control measures when issuing Russian passports and citizenship. The committee member on security criticized the migration service and called for its reform under the leadership of the Minister of Internal Affairs.

Arriving in Russia by employer invitation and issuing quotas for jobs: “Migrants should only arrive through targeted import, strictly by employer invitation with quotas for jobs,” noted Kabanov. “A controlled regime of their stay must be immediately introduced. If the terms of the contract change or it ends – the migrant must immediately return,” he added.

It is necessary to introduce QR codes for migrants, which could be used to check whether they pay taxes in Russia: “Every entrant must sign a loyalty agreement that would prohibit hostile actions and statements against Russia,” emphasized Kabanov. In addition, he raised the issue of the need to reform the Federal Migration Service and expressed proposals for improving control and response to such situations: “It is necessary to give the migration service operational-search functions, strengthen the units,” he noted.

“Among the most urgent measures – it is necessary to close the so-called rubber apartments and all illegal underground houses where aggressive ethnic groups gather,” concluded member of the Human Rights Council Kabanov.

Member of the State Duma security committee Anatoly Vyborny proposed stricter control measures: to introduce genomic registration for migrants, where identity could be identified through biological material. The deputy proposed creating a unified register of terrorist organizations: “Within the framework of the CSTO, it is necessary to create a unified register of terrorist organizations and individuals who may be involved and to proceed from this when allowing entry for citizens and granting citizenship,” emphasized the deputy.

In the State Duma, the leader of the party faction Sergey Mironov proposed to abolish the visa-free regime with the Central Asian countries. The politician announced this through his press service. He expressed the opinion that the introduction of a visa regime with these countries would contribute not only to strengthening national security but also to the development of mutually beneficial cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Central Asian countries.

This was also mentioned by former Interior Ministry employee Lieutenant General Alexander Mikhailov. He shared his viewpoint regarding migration policy: “It is time to reconsider the visa-free regime, which, as practice shows, can be abused with fake passports and may not always have friendly objectives,” he noted. Despite this, he emphasizes that Russia is not against migrants; they are needed in various sectors, but migrants should enter strictly in agreement with their employers.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation proposed to create “registers of employers and foreign workers” and to establish a “digital profile” for each foreigner, as well as to reduce the duration of stay in the country to 90 days within a year. Regarding the digital profile, a person will be issued a “single document certifying the identity of a foreign citizen,” which will replace all existing migration documents.

The head of the committee on labor and social policy, Yaroslav Nilov, previously stated to Izvestia that he supports tightening migration legislation. “The refusal to conclude indefinite labor contracts with foreign citizens deserves support, as it will simplify control over the stay of these citizens in the country. Moreover, the labor contract can always be extended if necessary. Yes, there is a shortage of labor in the job market, but safety should come first,” he explained. The deputy believes that strict control over the movement and stay of migrants in the Russian Federation is also necessary.

“It is necessary to introduce fingerprint control for such foreign citizens at all border crossing points. In addition, it is necessary to regulate their housing in accordance with the housing legislation of the Russian Federation. This means – no temporary trailers or cabins. It is also necessary to strengthen control over the money that flows abroad,” he noted.

On March 26, Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the Prosecutor General’s Office to work on developing preventive measures in the migration sphere, TASS reported. According to Putin, the situation in this area concerns millions of Russian citizens and needs to be monitored. At an extended meeting of the final board of the Ministry of Internal Affairs on April 2, he stated: “We need to fundamentally and radically update our approaches to migration policy. I ask the Ministry of Internal Affairs, our other law enforcement agencies, and special services to work on all these issues comprehensively and in detail together with the government and the presidential administration.” The existing databases, in Putin’s opinion, do not fully help eliminate the risks of illegal migration and repeated illegal entries of foreigners. “At the same time, our compatriots, whose ancestors grew up in the very central regions of our country, sometimes cannot obtain citizenship for years,” Putin emphasized. He noted that illegal entry is a “nurturing environment” for extremism and crime. Putin added that the decisive principle in migration policy should be that only those who respect the culture, history, language, and traditions of Russia should be allowed to enter.