MOSCOW, June 18 /ITAR-TASS/. Russia’s Federal Migration Service (FMS) keeps files for two-thirds of CIS residents, FMS chief Konstantin Romodanovsky said on.
“The majority of those who come to Russia are labour migrants from the near abroad. We keep files for two-thirds of the CIS population,” he said in an interview with Rossiiskaya Gazeta to be published on Thursday, June 19.
He regretted that many migrants had repeatedly violated migration legislation and been denied entry.
“Entry has been denied to 810,000 foreigners not because we want to take away their means of livelihood but because we just want to teach foreign guests to respect Russian laws,” Romodanovsky said.
Most of the violations are overstay and forgery of migration cards.
“When the machine detects overstay, it gives us a signal and we make out documents denying the person entry to the country. This happens automatically. Sometimes, foreign citizens use fake migration cards which they buy from other people for 500 or 100 roubles, stamped or unstamped. The machine detects them. So there is no point in buying them. As a result, the number of such falsifications has decreased 2.6 times,” Romodanovsky said.
“The number of people entering [Russia] from CIS countries has stopped growing at lightning speed and decreased by 20% The number of law offences related to the terms of stay by foreign citizens had dropped by 25%,” he said.
Russia has created special deportation centers for migrants. “There are 81 such centers now but there will be 83 in all. It’s not a prison. But those who are kept they may not leave them of their free will. They are provided with meals, security and accommodation. Their daily activities are regulated. And they are located in the regions with large numbers of migrants,” Romodanovsky said.