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Russia bans entry to 700,000 migrants in 2014

Foreigners are denied entry into Russia for failure to meet the time limit for stay or for committing administrative offenses
FMS Director Konstantin Romodanovsky  ITAR-TASS/Sergei Fadeichev
FMS Director Konstantin Romodanovsky
© ITAR-TASS/Sergei Fadeichev

MOSCOW, April 16. /ITAR-TASS/. Russia's Federal Migration Service (FMS) has banned entry into Russia to 700,000 migrants since the beginning of this year for violating the Russian legislation, FMS Director Konstantin Romodanovsky said.

"The system to regulate the flow of migrants is now working at full capacity," Romodanovsky said at the opening of the Migration Center in the Moscow region on Wednesday.

"The number of foreigners banned from entering Russia since the beginning of this year has exceeded 700,000," the FMS director said, praising the migration control system as an effective mechanism.

Foreigners are denied entry into Russia for failure to meet the time limit for stay or for committing administrative offenses.

 

Influx of migrants from Ukraine

The FMS director has also noted an increasing flow of migrants from Ukraine.

"In the past two months, we've recorded an increase in the number of Ukrainian citizens seeking various statuses that secure a long stay in Russia. They are refugees and displaced persons, there've been requests for temporary residence permits, and legalization has increased from the point of view of labor migration," according to Romodanovsky.

"People are certainly worried," he added.

"Two months ago, I said that I saw symptoms of a humanitarian catastrophe. I believe I'm not the only one now who sees it. In this connection, we interact with the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Hopefully, the situation will not worsen," the FMS director said.

The FMS is taking certain measures in connection with the situation in Ukraine. "Of course, if need be, we have certain reserves to reinforce our personnel working in border areas," he said.