“There is no system for registering migrants”: Vyacheslav Postavnin explained the work scheme for foreign citizens

Immediately after the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall, checks began on foreign citizens who work in Russia. What is illegal labor and is it realistic to count their number? These and other questions were answered on the live broadcast of MK.

“I would not call them illegal immigrants, they are simply administrative violators,” says Vladimir Volokh, a professor at the State University of Management and a member of the Russian Presidential Council for Interethnic Relations. – Not a single foreign citizen who is staying illegally will come to the internal affairs bodies and say “register me as an illegal immigrant.” These are mainly people with minor offenses: they did not register for migration on time, did not receive permission, and so on. Accordingly, they fall into this category.”

The head of the Center for Analytical and Practical Research of Migration Processes, Vyacheslav Postavnin, adds: “If we had a normal information system for registering foreign citizens, we could count the number of illegal workers. But we cannot create it in 20 years, although we can completely count how many have moved in and out. That’s another big question.”