Tajik official considers that the number of illegal migrants provided Russian Interior Ministry overstated

Recall, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported on April 16 that Russia has asked migrants from post-Soviet states living there illegally to leave the country by June 15.

“These people will be punished by expulsion and closure of borders” if they don’t leave by the June 15 deadline,” RIA Novosti quoted Deputy Interior Minister Alexander Gorovoy as saying at a meeting of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly.

According to Interior Ministry data, more than 332,000 illegal migrants from Uzbekistan currently reside in Russia, along with 247,000 from Tajikistan, 152,000 from Ukraine, 120,000 from Azerbaijan, 115,000 from Kyrgyzstan, 61,000 from Armenia, 56,000 from Moldova and 49,000 from Kazakhstan.

“This number – 247,000 – has been accumulated over many years…  Over 5, 10, 5 years.  We suspect that most of these people left for Tajikistan with other documents and are now there,” Mirzoyev said.

“As far as other Tajik labor migrants working in Russia are concerned, most of them have only one or two administrative offenses,” Tajik official added. 

Russian media reports note that speaking at a plenary session of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly, Russian Deputy Interior Minister, Alexander Gorovoy, said, “There are many of your citizens who are currently on the territory of my country illegally.  And if we do not reduce this number by June 15, as the presidential decree implies, these people will be punished, up to the expulsion and closure of borders." Gorovoy said at a plenary session of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly.

According to him, more than 1 million illegal immigrants from CIS countries currently live in Russia.

A moratorium on the expulsion of illegal immigrants, introduced in Russia because of the pandemic, is effective until June 15.  Until that date, illegal immigrants can freely leave Russia and not receive penalties.

Recall, Russia President Vladimir Putin in mid-December extended the residence status of foreign citizens living in Russia until June 15, 2021, due to the coronavirus pandemic.  This covered migrants from the CIS member nations living in Russia without proper documentation.

Russia is experiencing a labor shortage due to pandemic-related border closures and is looking to simplify entry requirements for migrant workers in industries like construction and agriculture.  More than a year since the start of the pandemic, only a handful of countries' citizens are permitted to enter Russia.

The Interior Ministry estimated late last year that nearly half of all migrants living in Russia before the pandemic had since left the country.