Employment head calls for rejecting migrants lacking skills in Russia

Revised Article:

Alexei Zakharov, president of SuperJob job search service, voiced his concerns about unqualified migrants in a recent chat with TASS, stating that their influx is costly and burdensome. He suggests a re-evaluation of Russia's migrant strategy, highlighting potential challenges and possible solutions.

Imagine we welcomed 10 million migrants into Russia. To educate their offspring, we'd need an additional 100,000 well-versed teachers. Yet, we're already grappling with a teacher shortage. Plus, the caliber of these teachers would need to rise to accommodate teaching foreign children their mother tongue and other subjects. Moreover, we'd require 100,000 police officers to preserve order and hundreds of thousands of migration service employees, according to Alexei Zakharov.

However, he asserts that mass deportation of unskilled foreign workers is impractical, as certain economic sectors would be paralyzed without their labor. A third of Russia's economy is rooted in labor migrants, so moving them out would spell disaster for construction, housekeeping, and agriculture, emphasized Zakharov.

In his opinion, a well-defined government policy is needed to manage migrants. He also points to a government decree that mandates foreign residents to provide fingerprints and facial scans upon entering Russia from June 30, 2025.

Zakharov recommends focusing on enforcing regulation and investing in migrant children's education. "Education, control, and time—that's the recipe for integrating them into Russian society," says Zakharov.

Our website earlier reported that the Russian Ministry of Labor trimmed the list of professions for simplified foreign residence permit issuance in the spring. The previous list comprised 203 specialties, but the shortened version now boasts only 31 technical and working-related ones, such as engineers, fitters, and electricians.

Reminder: The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs streamlined the process for permanent residence permits (PR) for foreign IT specialists and their families in December 2024. Additionally, foreign IT specialists can now enter employment or civil law agreements with Russian IT firms sans work permits or patents.

Recently, our website reported Russia's gradual tightening of its migration policy post the terror attack at the "Krokus" concert hall in Moscow in March 2024, which claimed the lives of 145 people.

This year, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs has tagged approximately 685,000 foreigners without legal grounds for residing in Russia as "controlled persons." By April 30, 2025, these non-compliant migrants are expected to rectify their status or vacate Russia.

Current Government Control Measures on Migrants in Russia

Recent developments show the Russian government is implementing stricter migration policies, mirroring a broader trend in Eastern Europe and Central Asia where national security is prioritized in migration policies. Here's an outline of the key policies shaping Russia's current migration landscape:

New Laws and Deportation Procedures: New legislation empowers police to decide on migrant workers' deportation within 48 hours, without a court decision. This marks a significant change compared to past procedures, where courts handled deportation decisions[2].
Government Surveillance: The legislation introduces a "migration search regime," enabling police to detain labor migrants for up to 48 hours to review their legal status. Besides, police can restrict migrants' movements without a court order[2].
Self-Employment Restrictions: A draft law has been proposed to bar foreign citizens who violate migration laws from obtaining self-employed status. This move is part of a broader push to tighten oversight of migrant activities[3].
Entry Notifications and Visa-Free Agreements: From June 30, 2025, foreign citizens entering Russia under visa-free agreements must submit entry notifications via a mobile app[3].
Simplified Processes for Specific Groups: While the overall trend is towards stricter measures, exceptions exist. For example, citizens of South Ossetia can now obtain Russian driver's licenses under a simplified procedure[3].

Current Scenario:

Russian Security Council's Plans: The Russian Security Council anticipates reviewing an updated Concept of the state migration policy in 2025, with the aim of reducing illegal migration[1].
Anti-migrant Sentiment and Security Fears: The legislation stems from growing anti-migrant sentiments after the terror attack near Moscow. This has fueled increased attention and regulation against migrants from Central Asia, who form the majority of migrant workers[2][5].
Regional Context: The stringent policy lines up with a broader regional trend where national security concerns are driving more restrictive migration policies, influenced by security issues in neighboring regions such as Afghanistan[5].
Sanctions and Diplomatic Relations: In April 2025, new sanctions against Russia were introduced, which don't directly affect migration policy but reflect ongoing geopolitical tensions that could indirectly impact Russia's diplomatic engagements and economic relationships with other countries[4].

I'm not sure if a mass influx of migrants into Russia in 2024 would be feasible, considering the potential challenges in terms of educational resources, policing, and migration services as highlighted by Alexei Zakharov.
The Russian government seems to be focusing on enforcing regulation and investing in migrant children's education, perhaps in response to the6 terror attack in Moscow in 2024 that highlighted the need for better integration of migrants into Russian society, as suggested by Zakharov.
In terms of politics, there seems to be a consensus among some, like Zakharov, that a well-defined government policy is necessary to manage migrants, especially given the economic dependencies on migrant labor in sectors like construction, housekeeping, and agriculture.
According to Alexei Zakharov, mass deportation of unskilled foreign workers might not be practical, considering the impact it would have on certain economic sectors, but there seems to be a shift towards stricter migration laws and deportation procedures in Russia.
In addition to the tightening of its migration policy post the Moscow terror attack in 2024, the Russian government is also planning to review its state migration policy concept in 2025, with the aim of reducing illegal migration as anticipated by the Russian Security Council.