In January 2024, the Government of the Russian Federation presented measures for foreigners for the next two years. The plan includes increasing the number of visitors to Russian universities, issuing simplified residence permits to graduates and expanding the list of electronic visas. The Government House of the Russian Federation expects specific ideas for the implementation of the presented concept from the responsible ministries by December 2024. But by September 2024, the Cabinet of Ministers expects to complete the development of an “adaptation course” for labor migrants from visa-free countries, hoping to form in them “the legal consciousness and legal culture inherent in Russian society”.
The “rush” regarding the last point looks logical in the light of statements from high Russian rostrums that were heard throughout 2023. The head of the Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin , pointed to the growing crime rate among migrants. Patriarch Kirill discussed the need to completely change migration policy due to the threat of Russia losing its identity. Deputies competed with the executive branch, coming up with new laws aimed at tightening the rules for the stay of foreigners. The Russian Muslim community has become concerned about the trend toward the development of migrant phobia .
Most of the labor migrants in 2023 came from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan - countries with a predominantly Muslim population. But there is no religious background to the destructive behavior of the “guests”. Among the reasons and circumstances that push migrants to commit crimes, experts cite the illegal status of foreigners, a low standard of living due to involvement in hard and low-paid work (often without formalization of work relations), and the lack of proper control on the part of the authorities over the implementation of migration legislation.
Some points of the plan for the implementation of migration policy, presented by the Government of the Russian Federation, require greater certainty, and with regard to certain issues, rigor is needed. The head of the Presidential Council for Human Rights, Valery Fadeev, points out non-compliance with labor legislation by employers who hire foreigners. Many migrants work more than 40 hours a week. Employers don’t always pay overtime and don’t always ask the employee’s consent. Is it possible to demand law-abiding behavior from a foreigner, while violating the codes of your own state and trampling on human rights?
The idea of becoming an example of a citizen for labor migrants arriving in the country looks utopian. Every Russian is faced with an objective reality - economic pressure from enemy states and social transformations in the context of technological progress and armed conflicts that are reshaping the modern world order require great moral and physical effort to improve their own lives. In addition, the call to “feel at home, without forgetting that you are a guest” remains relevant for any society, regardless of place and time.
Among the factors determining the criminal behavior of foreigners, a significant role is also played by the low level of legal culture, education, and in some cases, the banal upbringing of arriving migrants. Stress due to a change of territory of residence, insufficient knowledge, search for housing and employment turn the migrant’s consciousness into a semblance of those same “rubber” apartments. But instead of an excessive number of owners of a property that violates the Housing Code, there is a “swarm” of restless and anxious thoughts, pushing the unlucky migrant to destructive behavior and crimes.
In Moscow, two courts are simultaneously considering cases in which the main defendant is the former deputy head of the department for migration, accused of accepting bribes. What to do if even legitimate representatives of government find themselves in the dock for crimes committed? This question can be answered by migrants themselves, who are wise in their life experience and are ready to share it with their fellow countrymen. “If you encounter a dishonest police officer, be sure to write down or remember his badge number, which is on his chest. So that later you can complain about his actions”, - recommends Farkhod.
“If you don’t have any profession, no education, I would advise you not to go to Russia”, - Latifjohn recommends. “A short piece of advice. Think with your own head! Don't wait for someone to think for you. Don’t hope that someone will solve problems for you and figure out what to do”, - Nurlan insists. Hundreds of such parting words and comments, covering issues from pre-departure preparation to culture and leisure, with translation into Uzbek and expert comments, are contained in the collection “Migrants Advise Migrants.” The brochure was prepared by order of the Department of Internal Policy of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug of the Russian Federation in 2021.
“I know fellow countrymen who work illegally. Often this is due to ignorance; they arrived and at the station they were told that someone would do all the paperwork inexpensively. They are caught in this vicious circle of illegality and cannot get out of it”, - says Shukhrat. Even a cursory glance at numerous councils allows us to understand the primary reason for the misfortunes that befall migrants. “Many problems happen when a person wants something simple, quick, so as not to think and do, not read and not find out. It won’t work that way”, - sums up Nurlan. “Don’t go into the void, don’t go without money, don’t go without knowledge”, - warns Islom.
Perhaps migrants themselves should set an “example of a citizen”, an example of an educated person who knows his rights and can defend them. Since the second half of the 2010s, Russia has had competitors for migrants from Central Asia. For example, countries with more favorable financial conditions are opening up to residents of Uzbekistan - South Korea or China. But if we are talking about migration from Muslim countries, didn’t the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ tell his fellow believers to seek knowledge, even if it is in China? Angels spread their wings under the feet of a Muslim performing this duty bequeathed by the Prophet ﷺ.
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