Posted on 01/14/2007 5:44:57 PM PST by A. Pole
New regulations that take effect Monday will tighten immigration requirements and quotas for CIS citizens and increase the penalties for illegally employing foreigners.
The new legislation puts a cap of 6 million work permits in 2007 for migrants from countries that have visa-free travel agreements with Russia. These are overwhelmingly CIS countries, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
Migrants from CIS countries are currently the main source of cheap labor for Russia's booming construction industry and often take menial jobs that Russian citizens do not want.
Foreign citizens who came to Russia under a visa-free arrangement will now be able to receive work permits within 10 days of submitting a package of documents, including a passport, migration card and application receipt.
Employers can now hire such individuals without obtaining additional permits, but must still notify the migration, tax and employment authorities. All foreigners face a stricter registration-notification policy, with new rules requiring both temporary and permanent residents to register annually with their local Federal Migration Service office.
Under amendments to the code of administrative offenses, foreign citizens breaking the new regulations may face administrative fines of up to 50 times the minimum monthly wage, which is currently 1,100 rubles ($40).
Employers in violation of rules governing the stay of foreign citizens will likewise face harsher financial penalties, with the maximum fine being 40 times the minimum monthly wage for individuals, 500 times for officials, and 5,000 times for legal entities, which may also face a 90-day suspension of operations.
The brunt of the tougher new rules will be borne by migrants from the CIS, who have traditionally dominated many of the country's outdoor food markets.
Last October, President Vladimir Putin ordered tighter immigration rules and a crackdown on the country's markets. Starting Monday, the percentage of foreigners permitted to work in the retail trade sector and in outdoor clothes and food markets will be set at 40 percent. From Apr. 1, foreigners will be barred completely from these sectors.
Hefty fines, from 400 times to 8,000 times the minimum wage, will be imposed on those violating these rules.
Federal Migration Service officials said last year that over 20 million people came to Russia every year as part of a post-Soviet "migration boom," and estimated that half of those people were in the country illegally.
Critics of the measures have pointed out that they come as the country faces an acute demographic crisis and the labor force is shrinking.
The new regulations will "disrupt the economic ties that are the lifeblood of outdoor markets and vendors, where low-income people go to shop," wrote Andrei Kolesnikov, a commentator for RIA-Novosti.
"This could be a death sentence for the system of outdoor markets and the structure and volume of consumption, especially of fruit and vegetables."
THAT Bear has TEETH!
This is a step in the right direction.
Apparently they're still struggling to regain something resembling normality after decades of forced collectivism - while the gangsters have their hands in everyone's pockets perpetuating the apathy toward success. We can't point fingers while corruption and payola is contaminating our own system.
On the bright side some FReepers who've worked in Russia have illustrated how Putin is a good man truly dedicated to elevating his nation. I hope they're right.
"On the bright side some FReepers who've worked in Russia have illustrated how Putin is a good man truly dedicated to elevating his nation. I hope they're right."
As one of those FReepers who has worked/lived in the Former Soviet Union, I must admit Putin's movements the last couple of years are perplexing. While he may be trying to elevate his nation, he is gambling everything on oil dollars (or Euros) and still hasn't had any success in increasing the standard of living for any Russians living outside of Moscow or St. Petersburg. The Army is still a mess, conscripts are still ill fed, sickly and abused. He's ticked off his closest ally, nearest neighbors, and the sole superpower. Add to it the abysmal ethnic Russian replacement rate the country has and it all spells disaster looming. And not one those who "hate" Russia should take much comfort in.
Having said that, I do admire this crack down on illegals.
If only modern U.S. citizens had half of that ingrained patriotism and the courage to stand up for their future...
You're confusing nationalism with patriotism. The problem with modern day Russia is nationalism has won out over patriotism.
The Russians, Ukrainians, etc., who repelled the invading Nazi horde did so for SURVIVAL. The commies were "smart" enough to use the "Rodina" as a battle cry. However, a good portion of the millions that did die in that struggle did so because of inept Soviet commanders and/or NKVD troops shooting them in the back. The people's fight against the Nazis had nothing to do with "wounded pride"- that was something their communist overseers suffered from.
Talk about backhanded compliments ending up with being backhanded...you take the cake.
I was aware of the Communist's manipulation of propaganda and their use of brutality. On the other hand the commoners needed for the defense would have slipped away without being motivated by more than threats and lies. I give them more credit than you do. Russians, as a people, somehow adhere to pessimism while embracing hope at the same time. Forms of government come and go but the people remain the same.
Note how the Orthodox Church survived brutal repression all those years while hiding their icons (some worth fortunes). That's admirable.
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