Kyrgyz Migrants Wait Days at Russian Immigration Office

Sakharovo, a village 50 kilometres from central Moscow, has become the first port of call for foreign nationals seeking the right to live and work in Russia.

The village is home to the new Multifunctional Migration Centre, responsible for processing applications under new regulations in force since the beginning of 2015. These rules affect nationals of countries who do not need Russian visas – mostly migrant workers from other parts of the former Soviet Union. Those from Belarus, Kazakstan and Armenia, which are part of the Eurasian Economic Union, are exempt.

Applicants from Kyrgyzstan and other states covered by the rules have to undergo a health check, pass Russian language and history tests, submit various documents and apply for a work permit called a “patent”. Failure to do so in time could lead to them being deported and barred from coming back for up to ten years.

The migration centre is struggling to cope – about one third of the 3,000 people queuing up every day will actually get seen.

“Many people wait for their turn for more than three days. It’s honestly hard to queue for days, especially since they don’t even have benches here. You have to get up at five in the morning just to get into the centre,” Farida, an applicant from Kyrgyzstan, told IWPR.  

This audio programme went out in Russian and Kyrgyz on national radio stations in Kyrgyzstan. It was produced under two IWPR projects, Investigative Journalism to Promote Democratic Reform, funded by the European Union; and Strengthening Capacities, Bridging Divides in Central Asia, funded by the Foreign Ministry of Norway. The contents of this article are the sole responsibility of IWPR and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the EU or the Norwegian government.