NOVO-OGARYOVO, September 18. /TASS/. Immigration remains a highly sensitive issue for Russian citizens and must not be ignored by the authorities, President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with parliamentary faction leaders.

"This is a very sensitive issue for citizens, and neither federal nor local authorities should pretend that the problem does not exist. These issues are there, and they need to be addressed, but it will be impossible to resolve them if we do not constantly keep them in sight," Putin stressed.

The president also said it was possible to consider abolishing the patent system for labor migrants, responding to a proposal by Sergey Mironov, chairman of the A Just Russia - For Truth party.

"Abolishing the patent system for migrants is something to consider. It is widely used. I am not ruling anything out. I would ask you and your colleagues to work on this," Putin said.

He added that a number of migration-related decisions had already been made, and emphasized the importance of ensuring their proper implementation.