MOSCOW, April 8 - RAPSI. Nearly 7,000 migrants have passed Russian language tests, a Federal Migration Service official said on Monday.

Anatoly Fomenko, the deputy chief of the watchdog, said roughly 250 Russian language courses are offered to migrants, including 64 free courses established with the support of the watchdog and through religious and public organizations.

The biggest problem, though, is that many migrants do not want to study the language, he said.

A federal law obliging migrant workers to receive Russian language certificates came into force on Dec. 1, 2012. So far, it only concerns migrants who plan to work in catering, retail trade and housing and utility services.

According to the watchdog, there are 10.5 million migrant workers in Russia, most of whom are from Uzbekistan (2.5 million), Ukraine (1.3 million), Tajikistan (1.1 million), Azerbaijan (599,000), Kyrgyzstan (559,000) and Moldova (517,000).