Latvian parliament considers law to suspend residence permits for Russian citizens
Latvia’s parliament approved, in the first reading, amendments to an immigration law that stipulate the suspension of residence permits for Russian investors, BNS agency reported on Thursday, citing the parliament’s website.
Russian authorities mull fixed workplace percentages for immigrants
Russian Prosecutor General’s Office proposes a bill to institute a federal percentage bar of workplaces that could be taken my immigrant laborers, RIA Novosti reports on Wednesday.
Latvian parliament votes against ban on residence permits for Russians
Latvia’s parliament on Thursday voted against the proposal of the far-right Everything for Latvia (VL) party to stop issuing residence permits to Russian nationals “to preclude a threat to national security,” the parliament’s press service announced.
New visa for Russian speaking citizenship applicants
Foreigners who are also native Russian speakers will now be able to obtain a one-year visa to enter Russia and apply for Russian citizenship, RIA Novosti reports citing a statement on the cabinet of ministers’ website.
About 1 million foreigners banned from entering Russia
The Federal Migration Service (FMS) has already prohibited more than 900,000 foreigners from entering Russia for various violations, the FMS head Konstantin Romodanovsky told journalists on Tuesday.
International passport to be required of CIS citizens entering Russia
CIS citizens, except those in the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space countries, will need an international passport to enter or exit Russia starting January 1, 2015, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Russian upper house approves bill on Russian language tests for migrants
The Federation Council on Wednesday passed a bill on introducing obligatory tests in Russian language for labor immigrants.
Labor migrant children over six years old to be fingerprinted
Russia’s Federal Migration Service will fingerprint migrants’ children who are older than six years, reads a bill posted Friday on the website of planned legislation.
Immigration police could be established in Russia by 2016 - report
The Federal Migration Service is working on an immigration-control bill that is expected to take effect by 2016, Kommersant reports Wednesday. According to the newspaper, the new legislation will grant the agency police authority.
Russian government approves bill on citizenship for foreign investors
The Russian government's legislative commission has approved a bill on granting citizenship to foreigners who invest more than 10 million rubles (over $281,601) in Russia, or who have a Russian diploma and have worked here for at least three years, according to the government's official website.
Russian national arrested in Thailand for extortion back home
Police in Thailand have arrested Dmitry Ishmukhametov, a Russian national from Khabarovsk, for breaching immigration law. The detainee also happened to be on an international wanted list for extortion, Kommersant reported Monday.
Moscow metro cops detained 5,000 illegal migrants in 2013
Moscow police detained more than 5,000 illegal migrants during checks on the city’s subway system in 2013, which led to more than 500 deportations, the Interior Ministry said Wednesday.
New bill would simplify Russian citizenship for foreign investors - report
Russia’s Federal Migration Service and Economic Development Ministry have drafted a law on granting citizenship to foreigners who invest more than 10 million rubles (over $287,000) in Russia, or who have a Russian diploma and have worked here for at least three years.
Russians detained in Germany for assisting illegal immigration
Polish and German police have detained five Russian nationals “for the smuggling of irregular migrants” into Germany, Europol said in a statement released on Saturday.
Vietnamese national charged with using slave labor in Moscow
A Vietnamese national has been detained and charged on suspicion of using slave labor in Moscow has been officialy charged, the Interior Ministry’s Main Department for Moscow announced on Monday.
Over 60,000 immigrants deported from Russia in 2013
Over 60,000 foreigners were deported from Russia last year, according to Federal Migration Service official Dmitry Demidenko.
Immigration law violaters to be banned from entering Russia by July 2014
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the federal government to prepare procedures for the implementation of a ban on entry into the country for those found to have violated immigration law by July 15, 2014.
Lawmakers propose mandatory Russian for migrant laborers
Lawmaker from the Liberal Democratic Party proposed that all conversations between migrant laborers during working hours should be held in Russian, RIA Novosti reports on Thursday.
Number of foreign workers in housing and utilities to be cut by one-third – Moscow mayor
The Moscow authorities plan to reduce the number of immigrants in the city’s housing and utilities sector by one-third next year, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in an interview for the Monday issue of Vechernyaya Moskva evening newspaper.
Criminal cases on illegal migration increase 60-fold in Moscow - police
The number of criminal cases opened in connection with illegal migration in Moscow has risen approximately 60 times compared to last year's figures, the Interior Ministry's press service reported.