A registry of illegal migrants has been established in Russia. What changes can we expect now?

REGISTER OF ILLEGAL MIGRANTS IN RUSSIA FROM FEBRUARY 5, 2025

- From February 5, the so-called register of controlled persons will start operating within the Ministry of Internal Affairs system. It will include all foreign citizens who are illegally present in Russia, - stated First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Police General Alexander Gorovoy. - This register will be updated four times a day, containing personal data of foreign nationals.

It is important to note that not all migrants will be included in the register, but only ILLEGAL ONES. These are individuals who crossed the border into Russia and have not obtained a patent, registered with migration services, or entered into any employment agreements within 30 days (as required by law)...

WHO CAN USE IT?

Anyone can conduct a check. However, certain individuals will be required (!) to use the register for official purposes:

- The register provides an opportunity for both employers and individuals, government authorities, and employees of many state institutions, which provide various services, to check the legality of a foreign citizen's presence before carrying out any operation, - explains the police general.

From February 5, the so-called register of controlled persons will start operating within the Ministry of Internal Affairs system

Photo: Yulia PYKHALOVA. Go to the KP Photo Bank

HOW DOES THE CHECK WORK?

It will be possible to check whether a foreign citizen is legally present in Russia starting from February 5 on the website. Anyone interested can do this. Only the passport details of the individual being checked are needed - they are entered on the request page, and an immediate response is provided - whether the person is on the list or not. If they are, it means they are in the country illegally.

WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES FOR PARTICIPANTS IN THE REGISTER OF CONTROLLED PERSONS IN RUSSIA IN 2025?

If a foreigner is in the country illegally, they will not be able to access many services, including state services necessary for everyday life: this includes employment, enrolling children in kindergartens and schools, property registration, marriage registration or dissolution, vehicle management, or re-registration. Even purchasing tickets will be unavailable.

- We place very serious hopes on the register of controlled persons regarding preventive but very strict control over the presence of individuals in our country. No bank employee has the right to conduct any operation after February 5 without checking the individual against the register of controlled persons. The same applies to the State Register, as well as to our colleagues in kindergartens and educational institutions, - stated Alexander Gorovoy. - These measures are not punitive. They indicate that individuals should regularize their legal status or leave our territory.

HOW WILL THE CHECKS BE CONDUCTED?

The Ministry of Internal Affairs' website can be accessed from any device - computer, laptop, tablet, smartphone. For official use, more than 40,000 tablets have already been distributed to Ministry employees. They are available to local officers, patrol service personnel, migration officers, and traffic police.

- The Ministry of Digital Development will deliver portable tablets that fully meet our needs in the coming months, - says Gorovoy.

Until April 30, all illegal residents in the country have time to rectify their situation independently

Photo: Oleg ZOLOTO. Go to the KP Photo Bank

WHAT CAN BE DONE TO AVOID YOUR NAME BEING IN THE REGISTER OF ILLEGAL MIGRANTS?

Certainly. Until April 30, all illegal residents in the country have time to rectify their situation independently. You could call it a "migrant amnesty."

They need to visit the internal affairs authorities and regularize their legal status:

- After checks through our special records, conducting fingerprinting, digital photographs, and assessing the absence of any offenses against public order, we will regularize the legal status of these foreign citizens, - stated the deputy minister.

If all checks are successfully passed, the foreign citizen will be removed from the register of controlled persons - then all previously blocked services will become available again. However, starting from May 1, the opportunity for a foreign citizen to come and rectify their situation will disappear! Only mandatory deportation will remain.

WHY IS THIS NECESSARY?

- These measures are not punitive, - explained the rationale for introducing the register of controlled persons Alexander Gorovoy. - We are saying: either bring your legal status in order, or leave. If this is not done, from February 5, the internal affairs authorities will issue deportation orders. We have also received that right.

Moreover, online checks on the spot will save a lot of time, effort, and resources for law enforcement officers - they will not have to bring a foreign individual to the police station to clarify the legality of their stay in the country.

670 thousand foreign individuals are illegally present in Russia. More than half of them are women and children.

Photo: Mikhail FROLOV. Go to the KP Photo Bank

HOW MANY MIGRANTS ARE THERE IN RUSSIA TODAY?

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in 2024, 9.5 million foreign citizens entered Russia (4.5% more than in 2023). Over 9.3 million have exited.

Currently, there are 6.3 million foreign citizens in the country (5% more than in 2023). 80% of them are from CIS countries.

Of these, 670 thousand foreign individuals are illegally present in Russia. More than half of them are women and children. All of them will be included in the register of controlled persons starting February 5.

BY THE WAY

The most current and reliable information, as well as answers to key questions regarding migration legislation, is published on the official Telegram channel of the Main Directorate for Migration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia “Migration Post”. Recommendations for actions in typical or non-standard life situations are also published here.