Vladimir Putin has given illegal immigrants four months to gain legal standing by issuing a decree that could force many of them to leave the country by 2025.
The Russian president signed a decree on December 30 that sets an April 30 deadline for those who entered the country illegally to get their documents in order through aptitude checks, pay their debts and pass an exam in Russian language, history and law. .
They can also gain legal prestige by signing a military contract that could allow them to fight Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian said in 2021 that there were more than a million illegal immigrants from countries of the former Soviet Union living in Russia.
According to OECD figures from 2019 when Russia’s population was over 146 million, around seven percent of the population are illegal migrants, potentially putting many more at risk of deportation under Putin’s order.
Newsweek has reached out to the Kremlin via email for comment.
The war in Ukraine has exacerbated an estimated labor shortage in Russia of 1.5 million people, due to high casualties, an exodus of skilled workers avoiding the draft and a more restrictive environment.
Illegal immigrants, many of whom come from former Soviet countries in Central Asia, constitute a key component of the Russian economy and operate in low-skilled sectors. If they are forced to leave the country or enlist in the military, then Putin’s decree could add to the turmoil facing Russia’s sanctions-hit economy.
Putin’s decree, signed on Monday, comes into force on New Year’s Day and stipulates that immigrants who are in the country illegally will have to leave the country or liquidate their legal status until April 30.
Those wanting to stay will have to have their biometric data collected and undertake a medical examination which includes tests for drug use and the presence of diseases such as HIV.
Exemptions are granted to those who sign up for the military although concessions do not apply to migrants “who pose a threat to the national security” of Russia, state news agency Tass reported. Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs will implement the decree while the health ministry will organize the medical examinations.
The Russian government has cracked down on immigration following a terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall concert hall in the Moscow region that killed another 145 people and injured about 500. The investigation concluded that the perpetrators were from Tajikistan.
During the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in June, Putin said his government had to look into migration policy, especially given the need for migrants to solve labor shortages hampering economic growth.
But in its assessment of Putin’s latest decree, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said Monday that going into the New Year, the Kremlin seems to be “prioritizing Russia’s force generation requirements and domestic political stability over efforts to mitigate economic pressure and labor shortages.”
Putin’s decree stated that illegal migrants “must independently leave the Russian Federation between January 1 and April 20 or settle their legal status.”
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said: “Putin’s decree will likely further exacerbate Russia’s ongoing labor shortages if a significant number of migrants who work in food service, transportation, and other low-skilled industries either leave Russia or forcibly join the Russian military.”
The ISW said it is unclear if the decree will be enforced and much depends on whether labor market challenges are more important for the Kremlin than political pressure to kick out migrants.
The Washington, D. C. , think tank said implementation of the executive order would show that the Kremlin is prioritizing appeasement of pro-war ultranationalists and security considerations similar to reports of immigrants committing crimes and terrorist acts instead. to address economic problems.
Not enforcing the decree would indicate Moscow is “more concerned with utilizing migrant labor to overcome Russia’s economic issues and labor shortages than messaging to the Kremlin’s ultranationalist constituency,” the ISW added.
Brendan Cole is a Newsweek Senior News Reporter based in London, UK. His focus is Russia and Ukraine, in particular the war started by Moscow. He also covers other areas of geopolitics including China. Brendan joined Newsweek in 2018 from the International Business Times and well as English, knows Russian and French. You can get in touch with Brendan by emailing [email protected] or follow on him on his X account @brendanmarkcole.