Migration in the Russian Federation: A Country Profile...

Migration in theRussian Federation:

A Country Profile 2008



Russia

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The opinions expressed in the report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout the report do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IOM concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning its frontiers or boundaries.

IOM is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. As an intergovernmental organization, IOM acts with its partners in the international community to: assist in meeting the operational challenges of migration; advance understanding of migration issues; encourage social and economic development through migration; and uphold the human dignity and well-being of migrants.

Prepared by: Alin Chindea Magdalena Majkowska-Tomkin Heikki Mattila Isabel Pastor Edited by: Sheila Siar

Publisher: International Organization for Migration 17 route des Morillons 1211 Geneva 19 Switzerland Tel: +41.22.717 91 11 Fax: +41.22.798 61 50 E-mail: [email protected] Internet: http://www.iom.int

_____________________________________________________

ISBN 978-92-9068-483-1ISBN 978-92-9068-517-3 (Migration in the Black Sea Region: Regional Overview,Country Profiles and Policy Recommendations)

© 2008 International Organization for Migration (IOM)_____________________________________________________

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher.

94_08


A Country Profile

October 2008

�Migration in the Russian Federation: A Country Profile 2008

Contents

List of tables and figures......................................................................... 7Acronym list............................................................................................. 7Foreword................................................................................................... 9Executive Summary: General Assessment of Migration Issues........ 131. Immigrants......................................................................................... 17

1.1. Number of immigrants .............................................................................171.2. Status of immigrants .................................................................................191.3. Main countries of origin of immigrants ....................................................28

2. Emigrants........................................................................................... 332.1. Total number of emigrants ........................................................................332.2. Status of emigrants ....................................................................................342.3. Main countries of destination ..................................................................38

3. Remittances ....................................................................................... 413.1. Quantitative aspects of remittances ..........................................................413.2. Qualitative aspects of remittances ............................................................46

4. Migrant communities/diasporas....................................................... 474.1. Description of relationship between diasporas and country of origin ......474.2. Migrant communities/diasporas’ organizations by country of destination ..............................................................................................53

5. Irregular migration ........................................................................... 555.1. Numbers/estimates of irregular movements .............................................555.2. Figures and information on return migration flows ..................................575.3. Figures and information on trafficking ....................................................58

6. Assessment and analysis of migration issues................................... 656.1. Government institutions responsible for migration policy ......................656.2. International legal framework in place relevant to migration ..................676.3. Migration policies in place ......................................................................726.4. Labour migration issues ............................................................................756.5. Policies to address irregular migration .....................................................816.6. Policies to address trafficking in human beings ........................................836.7. Refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced persons, and relevant policies in place ....................................................................886.8. Other important migration actors in the country ......................................89

7. Annex: Some Additional Migration Statistics ................................ 95

� Migration in the Russian Federation: A Country Profile 2008

list of tables

Table 1. Population born outside of the Russian Federation (in thousands; as of 9 October 2002) .................................................18Table 2. Foreign citizens and stateless persons (as of 9 October 2002) ..........19Table 3. Asylum applications in the Russian Federation, 2004-2007 ..............19Table 4. Residence permits issued in the Russian Federation, 2004-2007 ......21Table 5. Temporary residence permits issued in the Russian Federation, 2004-2007 ..........................................................................................21Table 6. Persons who received the forced resettlement or refugee status, 1992-2006 ...........................................................................................22Table 7. Refugees and forced resettlers (persons) ............................................23Table 8. Forced resettlers (by place of former residence) ................................24Table 9. Distribution of foreign workers (by types of economic activity) .......25Table 10. Foreign workers in Russia (by main countries of origin) ................26Table 11. Distribution of foreign workers in Russia (by duration of work period) ............................................................27Table 12. Distribution of foreign workers (by gender) ....................................27Table 13. Immigration flows to the Russian Federation by country of departure, 1997-2006 .......................................................................29Table 14. Immigrants in Russia by ethnic origin in 2002-2006 .......................31Table 15. Distribution of immigrants age 14 and older, by educational status ...............................................................................................32Table 16. Emigration from the Russian Federation in 1997 and 2000-2007 by year and country of destination ..................................................33Table 17. Distribution of refugees and asylum seekers from Russia by country of asylum ............................................................................34Table 18. Russian citizens who migrated for employment abroad (by gender) .......................................................................................35Table 19. Russian citizens who migrated for employment abroad (by educational status) .....................................................................35Table 20. Russian citizens who migrated for employment abroad (by duration of employment period) ................................................35Table 21. Russian citizens who migrated for employment abroad in 2006 (by type of economic activity) .........................................................36Table 22. Russian citizens who migrated for employment abroad in 2005-2007, by destination countries ................................................36Table 23. Occupation of Russian citizens who migrated for employment abroad ...............................................................................................37Table 24. Russian citizens who migrated for employment abroad, by category of occupation ................................................................38Table 25: Selected countries of residence of Russian emigrants .....................38Table 26. Russian emigration by countries of destination and by year, 2000-2006 ........................................................................................39


Table 27. Educational status of emigrants 14 years and older, 2002-2006 ......40Table 28..Amount of incoming migrant remittances to Russia .......................41Table 29. Remittances to and from the Russian Federation, 2000-2006 .........42Table 30. Remittances sent via money transfer systems in 2006 .....................43Table 31. Violations of the Migration Law of the Russian Federation ............57Table 32. IOM assisted voluntary returns to the Russian Federation, 2005-2006 .........................................................................................57Table 33. Differences in GDP and standards of living among the CIS countries ....................................................................................75Table 34. Economically active population ......................................................78Table 35. Average annual employment by type of economic activities ...........79Table 36. Number of unemployed persons in the Russian Federation, 1992, 1995, and 2000-2006 .............................................................80Table 37. Unemployment by age and educational attainment in 2006 (as of end of November; percentage of the total) ............................81Table 38. Statistics on crimes related to trafficking in people, 2004-2007 ......86Table 39. Asylum applications in the Russian Federation, 2004-2007 ............89

list of figures

Figure 1. Net migration to Russia, by ethnic group, 1992-2003 (in %) ..........28Figure 2. Changes in average commission (for transactions from Russia via payment systems) ........................45Figure 3. Trafficking routes used in taking people out and into the Russian Federation ...........................................................................63


aCronYM list

BSEC Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation

CBR Central Bank of Russia

CIS Commonwealth of Independent States

FMS Federal Migration Service

ILO International Labour Organization

IOM International Organization for Migration

MIA Ministry of Internal Affairs

MTO Money transfer operators

NGO Non-governmental organization

RCP Regional Consultative Process

UN United Nations

UNDP United Nations Development Programme

UNFPA United Nations Population Fund

UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund

UNODC United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

USSR Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

WGCC Working Group on Combating Crime


foreWorD

International migration is a prominent feature of globalization and one of the defining issues of this century. Increasingly, migration entails economic, so-cial, demographic, cultural, security and environmental effects on both sending and receiving societies. The task of formulating effective and coherent approach-es for the management of international migration poses formidable challenges and frequently has led to regional initiatives such as Regional Consultative Proc-esses (RCPs).1 These initiatives – which address a wide range of migration issues including migration and development, integration of migrants, smuggling of and trafficking in persons, irregular migration and so on – often reflect the different migration agendas of governments even though the challenges they face may be similar in nature.

Within this context and considering its proactive role in various RCPs, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) signed a Memorandum of Under-standing with the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) in 2006. One of the main aims of this agreement is to enhance cooperation in addressing irregular migration and combating trafficking in persons in the Black Sea region, an area that experiences significant migration challenges as a transit, origin, and destination hub for migrants. Consequently, in 2007, IOM launched the “Black Sea Consultative Process on Migration Management”, a joint project with the BSEC’s Working Group on Combating Crime (WGCC) (Particularly its Organized Forms).

The project aimed to contribute to effective migration management in the Black Sea region as well as combating irregular migration through strengthened regional cooperation and capacity building of relevant authorities in all twelve member states of the BSEC.2 Specifically, IOM has drafted national Migration Profiles for those countries where such documents did not exist, and has reviewed and updated existing Profiles.3

Why country Migration Profiles? A concept and tool promoted by the Eu-ropean Commission, the Profiles are an evidence-based approach to assess the migration situation in a country. IOM has adopted and further developed this

1 Regional Consultative Processes bring together representatives of states, international organizations and, in some cases, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for informal and non-binding dialogue and information exchange on migration-related issues of common interest and concern.

2 Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Romania, the Russian Federation, Ser-bia, Turkey and Ukraine.

3 Within the framework of the Slovenian presidency of the European Union, IOM prepared Migration Profiles for the Western Balkan Countries including BSEC members Albania, Serbia and Turkey.

10 Migration in the Russian Federation: A Country Profile 2008

concept and has since implemented it in various regions such as the Balkans, Western and Central Africa, and Latin America. The intention is to contribute towards greater coherence of national migration policies and enhanced regional cooperation. This requires appropriate compilation of internationally comparable data among other features such as national coordination and cooperation among involved authorities and pursuit of an active international cooperation at bilateral, regional and global levels. The Profiles, using a common template, allow for comparability despite data limitations4 and different national contexts.

Furthermore, to ensure the legitimacy and recognized value of the Profiles, the BSEC member states and the BSEC WGCC provided substantial feedback on the Profiles. Drafted in IOM’s office in Budapest and coordinated with IOM’s Research Unit at IOM Headquarters in Geneva and the respective IOM office in each of the BSEC countries – to ensure high-quality – the Profiles also offer a set of policy recommendations for effective migration management in the region. These were thoroughly discussed during an expert meeting of the BSEC’s WGCC in Istanbul on 10 September 2008. Subsequently, the recommendations were ap-proved by the BSEC’s Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs that convened in Tirana on 23 October 2008.

This set of Profiles is the result of intensive cooperation between many individuals within IOM and among IOM and other stakeholders. The input of the following people is highly appreciated: Christine Aghazarm and Verónica Escu-dero, Research Unit in IOM Geneva, as authors of the regional overview and for their extensive review of all the Profiles, Frank Laczko, head of the Research and Publications in IOM Geneva, for his supervision throughout the project, IOM staff in IOM offices in all the BSEC countries, and the dedicated finance and ad-ministrative colleagues in IOM Budapest. Special thanks to IOM’s 1035 Facility who funded this project. Moreover, particular gratitude is warmly given to the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Organization as the associate organiza-tion in this project, especially the Permanent International Secretariat who kindly arranged the meetings related to the implementation of the project. Not least, IOM gratefully acknowledges the support of the BSEC Member States in the production of the Profiles, above all for their input to their specific country profile and the endorsement of the regional migration policy recommendations.

Argentina Szabados, Regional Representative

Alin Chindea, Project CoordinatorInternational Organization for Migration

Mission with Regional Functions for Central and South-Eastern Europe

4 For a discussion on the quality and limitations migration data, see the regional overview.

11Migration in the Russian Federation: A Country Profile 2008

russia – basic factsPopulation (July 2007) 141,377,752 (estimate)

Total Area 16,995,800 sq. km

GDP per Capita PPP USD 12,200

Human Development Index (HDI) Rank 67 of 177

Net Migration Rate 0.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population

Sources: CIA World Factbook; United Nations Development Programme Human De-velopment Report, 2006.

1�Migration in the Russian Federation: A Country Profile 2008

exeCutive suMMarY: general assessMent of Migration issues

From the beginning of the 20th century until the disintegration of the Soviet Union, migration flows concerning Russia took place mainly within the borders of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Exceptions to this were during the two World Wars and the civil war (1917-1922), which accompanied move-ments of refugees and displaced persons, repatriations, and mass deportations.

After the end of the Soviet Union, the first half of the 1990s was character-ized by the so-called forced migration or forced resettlement towards the Russian Federation, basically from countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Baltic States, the sharp reduction of emigration streams to these states, and the booming emigration to “far abroad” or outside of the former Soviet Un-ion. This far-abroad emigration was mostly ethnic in character: Germans, Jews and Greeks, and Russians living in the large cities were mostly the ones to leave. There were many scientists and representatives of art among emigrants in that period.1

However, during the second half of the 1990s, there was a reduction in the streams of refugees and forced immigrants from the countries of the former Soviet Union. Immigration lost its forced nature, and more and more migrants started to move into Russia for social and economic reasons. The diversity of emigration (by countries, by regions of origin in Russia, and by ethnic composi-tion) decreased as well.

In the 2000s, the main factors influencing migration in Russia have been its more favorable economic development compared to most of the other CIS coun-tries and the growing problems of demographic development in Russia.

Nowadays, Russia is facing similar migration challenges to most other European countries. These challenges include: how best to use immigration (to-day and in the future) to compensate for the declining population, labour force shortages, and emigration of working age citizens; how to fight against irregular forms of migration and trafficking in human beings; and how to overcome anti-immigrant sentiment, xenophobia, and ethnic conflict, problems closely linked with migratory movements.

1 Vladimir , Mukomel and Nikita Mkrtchyan (2008) Expert memorandum drafted for this Country Profile; Com-missioned by IOM Office in Moscow; January 2008.

1� Migration in the Russian Federation: A Country Profile 2008

The vast territory of the country, its numerous administrative sub-regions, and ethnically diverse population also create special problems, such as keeping sparsely populated areas inhabited. The long land borders of nearly 20,000 km pose special challenges for controlling migration flows.

Also, the common past of the CIS as former Soviet Republics, where the Russian language is generally spoken and a visa-free regime prevails, gives a special characteristic to the nature of migration to and from Russia.

Ivakhniouk (2006)2 lists the following features that characterize much of the “migration system” in the CIS area:

• historical ties• geographical proximity, ‘transparent’ borders (visa-free movements)• common transport infrastructure• psychological easiness to move (language, former common territory)• demographic complementarity• mutual interest towards common labour market• large-scale irregular migration• regional cooperation aimed at coordinated migration management.

Following the disintegration of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, about 25 million ethnic Russians found themselves living in the other CIS countries and in the three Baltic Republics.3

Meanwhile, between 1989 and 2002, Russia received 10.9 million migrants from the former Soviet Republics (the current CIS and the Baltic States).4 A large part of these Russians had to move under some degree of pressure, with many of them even fleeing conflicts including those in South Ossetia, Abkhasia, and Tajikistan. In Russia, they were therefore called “refugees”’ or “forced migrants” (also “forced resettlers”).

During the same period, 4.1 million persons moved in the opposite direc-tion,5 that is, from Russia to the newly independent former Soviet Republics. Thus, Russia’s net immigration figure with the Former Soviet Union (FSU) Re-

2 Ivakhnyuk, Irina (2006) “Migration in the CIS Region: Common Problems and Mutual Benefits”, An expert paper presented at the International Symposium on International Migration and Development, United Nations Population Division, 28-30 June 2006, Turin, Italy.

3 Tishkov, Valery, Zhanna Zayinchkovskaya and Galina Vitkovskaya (2005) “Migration in the Countries of the Former Soviet Union”, A paper prepared for the Policy Analysis and Research Programme of the Global Commission on International Migration.

4 Ibid. 5 Ibid.


publics in the same period was 6.8 million. These people resettled in numerous communities all around the Russian Federation, and their resettlement was for many years the main priority of the Russian migration authorities, most notably the Federal Migration Service (FMS) created in June 1992.6

According to Tishkov et al. (2005), since mid-1990s, such forced migration in the CIS region has gradually decreased, while at the same time economically motivated migration has grown. Ivakhniouk (2006) confirms7 that during the last 15 years, the nature of migration flows in the CIS region shifted “from primarily forced migrations to voluntary economic migrations”. The strongly varying eco-nomic, social and political development in the CIS countries has generated large, mostly economic migration flows primarily towards Russia (see more on this in Section 6.4 on labour migration).

The increased mobility of various ethnic groups of the Central Asian coun-tries of the CIS, and their employment in the Russian Federation, has led to an expansion of migrant ethnic communities and intensive formation of “new di-asporas” resulting in growing ethnic confrontations of a socio-cultural variety.

Partly linked to the recent large labour migration, Russia and the whole

CIS region have become transit and residence areas for large numbers of irregular migrants, thus new and more effective methods are being sought to deal with the situation.

The need for active migration policy has been acknowledged at the high-est level. For instance, the then Russian President, Vladimir Putin, announced in March 2005 the need for adjusting Russia’s migration policy as a result of the rapid decline in the country’s population.8 The President was quoted as saying that the state’s migration policy needs to be adjusted and be closely linked to important tasks of socio-economic development, with the main task at present to create additional conditions for attracting skilled labour. The President also stated that those migrants falling into the shadow economy largely have done so due to the cumbersome procedures in place for obtaining legal employment in Russia.

In recent years, Russian authorities have launched numerous proactive mi-gration policy initiatives, in their attempts to increase the recruitment of highly skilled professionals from abroad, as well as to encourage Russian expatriates

6 Voronina (2006).7 Ivakhnyuk, Irina (2006) “Migration in the CIS Region: Common Problems and Mutual Benefits”, An expert

paper presented at the International Symposium on International Migration and Development, United Nations Population Division, 28-30 June 2006, Turin, Italy.

8 Interfax New Report, 17 March 2005.


to return and to diminish irregular migration, through facilitation of immigra-tion procedures and imposition of sanctions to employers hiring undocumented labour, improved migration databases and new passports with electronic and bio-metric features, and increased cooperation among CIS countries in migration is-sues. New migration legislation has also been in force since January 2007.


1. iMMigrants

1.1. Number of immigrants

Stock ............................................................................. 12,080,000 (2006)9

As percentage of total population ......................................... 8.4% (2006 )10

Gender ratio .............................................................57.8% female (2005)11

The United Nations Population Division (UNPD) ranks Russia second to the United States in the list of countries with the largest numbers of immigrants:

United States – 38.9 million immigrantsRussian Federation – 12.1 millionGermany – 10.1 millionUkraine – 6.8 million

Many of the foreign-born residing in the current Russian Federation were born in other states of the former USSR (Table 1). Therefore, for a large share of the foreign-born in Russia, the figure reflects the changed geopolitical status of their country of birth, rather than international migration to Russia. The total number of citizens from other states and of stateless persons is much lower (Table 2).

9 United Nations Secretariat, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (October 2006) International Migration. The number of international migrants generally represents the number of persons born in a country other than that in which they live.

10 Ibid.11 World Bank, Development Prospects Group (2005) Migration and Remittances Factbook.


Table 1. Population born outside of the Russian Federation(in thousands; as of 9 October 2002)12

Country no.Azerbaijan 846

Armenia 481

Byelorussia 936

Georgia 629

Kazakhstan 2,585

Kirghizia 464

Latvia 103

Lithuania 86

Moldova 278

Tadzhikistan 383

Turkmenia 175

Uzbekistan 918

Ukraine 3,560

Estonia 67

Other countries 466

Total 11,977Source: The 2002 Census in the Russian Federation as presented by Rosstat in 2005

12 Rosstat of the Russian Federation, Moscow (2005) Results of the 2002 Census in the Russian Federation, Vol. 14, Total Final Figures of the 2002 Census in the Russian Federation.


Table 2. Foreign citizens and stateless persons (as of 9 October 2002)13

no. (in thousands) as percentage of the russian population

Total no. of foreign citizens 1,025.4 0.7

Their country of citizenship:

Other than CIS 119.1 0.1

Azerbaijan 154.9 0.1

Armenia 136.8 0.1

Byelorussia 40.3 0.0

Georgia 52.9 0.0

Kazakhstan 69.5 0.1

Kyrgyzstan 28.8 0.0

Moldavia 51.0 0.0

Tadzhikistan 64.2 0.0

Turkmenia 6.4 0.0

Uzbekistan 70.9 0.1

Ukraine 230.6 0.2

Stateless people 429.9 0.3

Source: The 2002 Census in the Russian Federation as presented by Rosstat in 2005

1.2. Status of immigrants

Refugees/asylum seekers

Situation at the end of 2006:Refugees ...........................................................................................1,42514

Asylum seekers (pending cases)............................................................291

Table 3. Asylum applications in the Russian Federation, 2004-2007

2004 2005 2006 2007 (June)315 292 1,170 291

Source: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), 2007.

According to the Law on the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Rus-sian Federation of July 25, 2002, No. 115-FZ, foreign citizens may temporarily

13 Ibid.14 UNHCR (2007) Statistical Yearbook 2006, Trends in Displacement, Protection and Solutions, Geneva De-

cember 2007. The first figure refers to “Persons recognized as refugees under the 1951 UN Convention/1967 Protocol, the 1969 OAU Convention, in accordance with the UNHCR Statute, persons granted a complemen-tary form of protection and those granted temporary protection”.


stay,15 temporarily reside, and permanently reside in the Russian Federation. The number of temporary residence permissions (for a period of three years) is allo-cated by quota.16 Residence permits are issued for a five-year period with possible extension. Prior to the receipt of a residence permit, a foreign citizen is obliged to live in the Russian Federation for at least one year on the basis of a temporary residence permit.

Forced migrants may seek, according to the Law of the Russian Federa-tion, temporary refuge, refugee status, or displaced person status.17

Simplified procedure sfor the acquisition of nationality is in force between the Russian Federation and the Republics of Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyr-gyzstan.18 In addition, separate categories of immigrants may also obtain Russian citizenship through a simplified procedure.19

Permanent residence status

The number of people issued residence permits in 2006 totaled 16,699. As of October 2007 this figure was 12,217.

15 The period of a foreigner’s temporary stay in the Russian Federation is defined by the validity period of his/her visa. Temporary stay that does not require a visa but the duration of stay should not be longer than 90 days.

16 Quotas are distributed among subjects (regions) of the Russian Federation. Quotas are not extended to indi-vidual categories of foreign citizens. A quota of 140,790 for part-time residence has been approved for the year 2008.

17 The status of forced migrants can be given to internal migrants as well as to Russian citizens who are forced to leave the place of their residence outside of Russia.

18 Federal Law of 2 January 2000, No. 18-FL.19 These include foreign citizens and stateless persons who have at least one parent with Russian Federation

citizenship and living in the territory of the Russian Federation; who had the citizenship of the USSR; who had resided or is residing in the former republics of the USSR and did not receive the citizenship of these republics and thus remain stateless persons; who are citizens of the former republics of the USSR; who had received professional or higher education in the educational institutions of the Russian Federation after 1 July 2002; who were born in the territory of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and had citizenship of the former USSR; who are married to the citizen of the Russian Federation for at least three years; and who are not capable of working and have a legally capable son or daughter over the age of 18 who are citizens of the Russian Federation. (The Federal Law on Amendments to the Federal Law on the Citizenship of the Russian Federation, 11 November 2003, No. 151-FL).


Table 4. Residence permits issued in the Russian Federation, 2004-2007

Year no.2004 43,828

2005 18,862

2006 16,699

2007 (as of October) 12,217

Source: Federal Migration Service.

Temporary residence status

The number of people issued temporary residence permits in 2006 totaled 150,716. As of October 2007, the figure reached 167,347.

Table 5. Temporary residence permits issued in the Russian Federation, 2004-2007

Year no.2004 120,756

2005 170,267

2006 150,716

2007 (as of October) 167,347


Refugees/asylum seekers

Refugees – 445 persons (as of November 2007)Applied for refugee status – 1,872 persons (January-October 2007)Recognized as refugees – 113 (January-October 2007)Applied for temporary asylum – 1,042 persons (January-October 2007)Received temporary asylum – 359 persons (January-October 2007)


Table 6. Persons who received the forced resettlement or refugee status, 1992-200620

total of forced migrants refugees forced

re-settlers1992 160,341 1993 323,244 1994 254,518 85,811 168,7071995 271,950 46,409 225,5411996 172,672 19,824 152,8481997 131,130 5,751 125,3791998 118,227 510 117,7171999 79,126 381 78,7452000 59,196 277 58,9192001 41,958 134 41,8242002 20,504 51 20,4532003 4,726 58 4,6682004 4,291 42 4,2492005 8,939 25 8,9142006 7,177 42 7,135


20 FMS press release. Moscow, 1993-1999; Information and Statistics Collected Book No. 1, the FMS. Moscow, 2002; Population and migration in the Russian Federation. Moscow, the Goskomstat of Russia, 1994-2006.


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4 Inc

ludi

ng 2

40 p

erso

ns w

ho w

ere

form

erly

per

man

ent r

esid

ents

of A

fgha

nist

an; R

wan

da, 7

; Isr

ael,

5; I

raq,

5; V

ietn

am, 3

; Ser

bia,

3; a

nd o

ne p

erso

n ea

ch fr

om Ir

an,

Paki

stan

, Uga

nda,

and

Eth

iopi

a.


Tabl

e 8.

For

ced

rese

ttler

s (b

y pl

ace

of fo

rmer

resi

denc

e)

1998

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

Tota

l95

6,87

488

0,39

478

2,21

562

5,63

949

1,89

835

2,79

623

7,99

816

8,25

311

7,71

1

Bel

arus

304

253

174

102

6528

127

7

Kaz

akhs

tan

234,

205

309,

155

290,

698

259,

827

216,

891

150,

423

99,5

0066

,020

42,9

71

Mol

doa

14,0

1510

,614

9,45

86,

989

5,48

33,

950

2,12

81,

404

943

Rus

sia*

194,

332

157,

425

140,

657

112,

367

82,2

8961

,382

46,7

0636

,375

23,8

27

Kyr

gyzs

tan

63,6

0644

,433

35,4

9823

,907

16,1

9710

,999

6,09

24,

265

2,87

9

Tadz

hiki

stan

126,

625

96,0

5683

,040

59,1

9044

,342

31,5

6317

,683

12,1

589,

169

Turk

men

ista

n14

,564

14,5

5212

,709

9,58

86,

084

3,33

21,

917

1,37

61,

133

Uzb

ekis

tan

135,

579

122,

369

100,

606

80,3

0664

,907

48,3

1933

,015

22,2

5715

,575

Aze

rbai

jan

68,3

8345

,275

36,6

9820

,740

14,0

039,

161

5,02

53,

322

2,46

8

Arm

enia

4,62

13,

283

2,57

91,

616

1,18

360

139

029

521

5

Geo

rgia

60,8

8441

,915

40,5

0730

,361

27,4

8825

,199

22,2

7818

,868

17,2

02

Latv

ia18

,680

14,8

6111

,888

7,67

94,

392

2,30

51,

029

614

472

Lith

uani

a2,

771

2,27

91,

881

1,09

375

448

519

610

982

Est

onia

11,6

3610

,519

9,02

36,

320

3,75

31,

993

659

339

244

Oth

er te

rrito

-rie

s or

thos

e no

t spe

cifie

d70

167

186

189

167

103

6923

7

Sou

rce:

Pop

ulat

ion

and

Mig

ratio

n in

the

Rus

sian

Fed

erat

ion.

Mos

cow

, the

Gos

kom

stat

of R

ussi

a, 1

997-

200.

* th

e C

hech

en R

epub

lic, t

he R

epub

lic o

f Ing

ushe

tia, a

nd th

e R

epub

lic o

f Nor

th O

sset

ia-A

lani

a.


Table 9. Distribution of foreign workers (by types of economic activity)

2005 2006no. % no. %

Total 702,500 100.0 1,014,013 100.0

Building 272,122 38.7 414,084 40.8

Industry and mining operations 48,725 6.9 72,245 7.1

Agriculture, hunting 33,438 4.8 72,646 7.2

transport, communication 32,972 4.7 46,990 4.7

Trade and services 213,933 30.5 270,944 26.7

Other types of economic activity 101,310 14.4 137,104 13.5

Source: the Federal Migration Service


Labour migrantsTable 10. Foreign workers in Russia (by main countries of origin)

2004 2005 2006

no. % no. % no. %

total 460,364 100.00 702,500 100.00 1,014,013 100.00

from Ciscountries (total)

221,862 48.19 343,665 48.92 537,722 53.03

Including: Azerbaijan 9,844 2.14 17,302 2.46 28,319 2.79

Armenia 17,000 3.69 26,169 3.73 39,760 3.92

Georgia 3,789 0.82 4,314 0.61 4,928 0.49

Kyrgyzstan 7,988 1.74 16,228 2.31 32,981 3.25

Moldavia 22,689 4.93 30,613 4.36 50,958 5.03

Tadzhikistan 23,282 5.06 52,602 7.49 98,736 9.74

Turkmenistan 304 0.07 1,499 0.21 704 0.07

Uzbekistan 24,101 5.24 49,043 6.98 105,061 10.36

Ukraine 108,615 23.59 141,777 20.18 171,292 16.89

from othercountries (total)

238,502 51.81 358,835 51.08 476,291 46.97

including:Afghanistan

2,521 0.55 2,874 0.41 3,840 0.38

Bulgaria 2,268 0.49 1,815 0.26 1,547 0.15

Bosnia andHerzegovina

1,583 0.34 2,084 0.3 3,6670.36

Vietnam 41,816 9.08 55,554 7.91 69,076 6.81

Germany 1,506 0.33 2,132 0.3 3,094 0.31

India 2,109 0.46 2,729 0.39 3,802 0.37

Italy 758 0.16 909 0.13 1,097 0.11

China 94,064 20.43 160,569 22.86 210,784 20.79

Korea (PDRK) 14,736 3.2 20,057 2.86 27,666 2.73

Korea Republic 466 0.1 968 0.14 1,321 0.13

Latvia 1,158 0.25 1,176 0.17 1,128 0.11

Lithuania 4,429 0.96 3,894 0.55 3,428 0.34

Poland 1,328 0.29 1,432 0.2 2,141 0.21

Serbia and Mon-tenegro 7,504 1.63 9,777 1.39 13,661 1.35

Great Britain 1,449 0.31 2,168 0.31 3,193 0.31

United States 1,943 0.42 2,859 0.41 3,724 0.37

Turkey 48,007 10.43 73,695 10.49 101,407 10.00

Philippines 112 0.02 692 0.1 2,559 0.25

Finland 1,259 0.27 1,290 0.18 1,264 0.12

France 1,137 0.25 1,614 0.23 2,576 0.25

Source: Federal Migration Service


Table 11. Distribution of foreign workers in Russia (by duration of work period)

2005 2006Up to 3 months 2,260 2,683

3-6 months 34,764 5,590

6-9 months 17,663 14,206

9-12 months 391,477 547,633Source: Federal Migration Service

Table 12. Distribution of foreign workers (by gender)

2004 2005 2006

No. % No. % No. %

Male 379,186 82.4 591,235 84.2 858,506 84.7

Female 81,178 17.6 111,265 15.8 155,507 15.3


1.3. Main countries of origin of immigrants

As indicated earlier, in the early to mid-1990s, the main migration flows to the Russian Federation consisted of ethnic Russians who moved from other former Soviet Republics, often fleeing discrimination or ethnic conflicts, and therefore were known as forced migrants or forced resettlers in the Russian Fed-eration. Since 2000, the top 10 source countries have been Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Moldova.21

21 World Bank, Development Prospects Group (2008) Migration and Remittances Factbook.


Figure 1. Net migration to Russia, by ethnic group, 1992-2003 (in %)

Source: Valery Tishkov , Zhanna Zayinchkovskaya and Galina Vitkovskaya (2005) Migration in the countries of the former Soviet Union, Global Commission on International Migration, p.13.

6.00%

10.00%

1.50%

15.70%

66.80%


Tabl

e 13

. Im

mig

ratio

n flo

ws

to th

e R

ussi

an F

eder

atio

n by

cou

ntry

of d

epar

ture

, 199

7-20

06

19

9720

0020

0120

0220

0320

0420

0520

06

Arr

ival

s to

the

Rus

sian

Fed

erat

ion,

Tot

al59

7,65

135

9,33

019

3,45

018

4,61

212

9,14

411

9,15

717

7,23

018

6,38

0

of w

hich

from

:

CIS

cou

ntrie

s57

1,90

334

6,77

418

3,65

017

5,06

811

9,66

111

0,37

416

8,59

817

7,65

7

Aze

rbai

jan

29,8

7814

,906

5,58

75,

635

4,27

72,

584

4,60

08,

900

Arm

enia

19,1

2315

,951

5,81

46,

802

5,12

43,

057

7,58

112

,949

Bel

arus

17,5

7510

,274

6,52

06,

841

5,30

95,

650

6,79

75,

619

Geo

rgia

24,5

1720

,213

9,67

47,

128

5,54

04,

886

5,49

76,

806

Kaz

akhs

tan

235,

903

124,

903

65,2

2655

,706

29,5

5240

,150

51,9

4538

,606

Kyr

gyzs

tan

13,7

5215

,536

10,7

4013

,139

6,94

89,

511

15,5

9215

,669

Mol

dova

13,7

5011

,652

7,56

97,

562

6,39

14,

816

6,56

98,

649

Tajik

ista

n23

,053

11,0

436,

742

5,96

75,

346

3,33

94,

717

6,52

3

Turk

men

ista

n16

,501

6,73

84,

402

4,53

16,

299

3,73

44,

104

4,08

9

Uzb

ekis

tan

39,6

2040

,810

24,8

7324

,951

21,4

5714

,948

30,4

3637

,126

Ukr

aine

138,

231

74,7

4836

,503

36,8

0623

,418

17,6

9930

,760

32,7

21

from

non

-CIS

cou

ntrie

s25

,748

12,5

569,

800

9,54

49,

483

8,78

38,

632

8,72

3

Aus

tralia

5727

2522

3042

3028

Afg

hani

stan

208

288

171

107

8255

6086

Bul

garia

750

245

255

238

212

125

118

109

Ger

man

y2,

379

1,75

31,

627

1,96

22,

692

3,11

73,

025

2,90

0


Gre

ece

183

182

124

150

224

182

200

176

Isra

el1,

626

1,50

81,

373

1,67

01,

808

1,48

61,

004

1,05

3

Can

ada

7350

7470

103

8799

77

Chi

na2,

861

1,12

140

541

034

621

243

249

9

Cub

a11

037

4222

2312

1712

Latv

ia5,

658

1,78

51,

283

990

906

819

726

766

Lith

uani

a1,

785

945

758

722

535

339

360

371

Pol

and

247

6156

5339

4855

48

Syr

ia48

335

826

014

410

156

6867

Uni

ted

Sta

tes

668

439

432

455

484

518

396

411

Turk

ey17

616

418

414

411

277

8617

2

Finl

and

140

8397

136

125

141

129

137

Sw

eden

3214

2819

2216

2332

Est

onia

3,48

378

653

553

444

544

643

234

7

Oth

er c

ount

ries

4,82

92,

710

2,07

11,

696

1,19

41,

005

1,37

21,

432

Sou

rces

: Gos

kom

stat

(The

Cen

tral S

tatis

tical

Offi

ce o

f the

Rus

sian

Fed

erat

ion)

web

site

; Dem

ogra

phic

Yea

rboo

k of

Rus

sia,

Mos

cow

, 200

6; P

opul

atio

n an

d M

igra

tion

in th

e R

ussi

an F

eder

atio

n in

200

6, M

osco

w, 2

006.

�1Migration in the Russian Federation: A Country Profile 2008

A significant part of migrants moving for permanent (primary) residence to Russia are Russians (ethnic Russians from other regions of the Former Soviet Republic who are entitled to Russian citizenship) arriving from other CIS coun-tries or who belong to ethnic minorities of the Russian Federation. The majority of them have Russian citizenship. The following table describes the ethnic origin of those immigrants.

Table 14. Immigrants in Russia by ethnic origin in 2002-2006

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006Total 184,612 129,144 119,157 177,230 186,380

Russians 99,683 66,076 65,831 92,576 82,647

Tatars 7,708 5,782 4,039 6,330 8,171

Other nations and ethnic groups of the Russian Federation

5,567 3,768 3,382 3,763 4,068

Azerbaijanis 2,921 1,884 1,196 2,489 5,345

Armenians 7,491 5,757 3,547 7,157 11,358

Belarusians 2,819 1,833 1,820 2,544 2,028

Georgians 1,451 968 609 811 1,055

Kazakhs 1,946 1,304 1,452 2,022 1,862

Kirghiz 428 276 403 1,332 2,394

Moldovans 1,263 981 807 1,385 2,033

Tadjiks 1,481 1,004 639 1,305 2,550

Turkmen 218 311 219 231 285

Uzbeks 2,020 1,597 1,130 2,069 3,880

Ukrainian 17,699 11,225 8,886 13,623 13,564

Koreans 1,577 1,295 985 2,162 2,870

Germans 2,523 1,913 2,342 2,974 2,438

Other nationalities, living mainly outside of the Russian Federation

4,077 2,986 2,148 3,565 3,546

Nationalities have not been specified 23,740 20,184 19,767 30,892 36,286

Source: Population and migration in the Russian Federation. Moscow, the Rosstat, 2004-2006


Table 15. Distribution of immigrants age 14 and older, by educational status

educational status 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006Total 158,505 111,883 104,550 155,056 163,687

Higher professional education

28,561 22,185 20,563 29,357 31,118

Including Doctors of Sci-ence (PhD specialists)

40 29 35 38 54

Candidates of Sciences (PhD specialists)

206 161 60 79 86

Incomplete higher educa-tion

4,254 3,193 3,210 4,973 5,083

Secondary vocational education

47,620 33,250 31,797 48,180 48,554

General secondary education

53,084 37,210 32,713 48,561 50,608

Basic secondary educa-tion

19,283 12,566 12,387 18,689 18,313

Primary education or no education

5,703 3,479 3,880 5,296 3,958

Educational status not specified

6,053

Source: Population and Migration in the Russian Federation, Moscow, the Rosstat, 2002-2006.

��Migration in the Russian Federation: A Country Profile 2008

2. eMigrants

2.1. Total number of emigrants

..................................................................................... 11,480,137 (2005)22

As percentage of total population .............................................8% (2005)23

Table 16. Emigration from the Russian Federation in 1997 and 2000-2007 by year and country of destination

1997 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006Departures from the Rus-sian Federa-tion, Total

232,987 145,720 121,166 106,685 94,018 79,795 69,798 54,061

of which to:

CIS countries 146,961 82,312 61,570 52,099 46,081 37,017 36,109 35,262

Azerbaijan 4,302 3,187 2,170 1,704 1,771 1,336 1,274 1,366

Armenia 2,578 1,519 1,362 1,114 1,098 654 620 686

Belarus’ 18,928 13,276 11,175 8,829 7,016 5,671 6,034 6,318

Georgia 3,286 1,802 1,339 964 939 740 691 593

Kazakhstan 25,364 17,913 15,186 13,939 14,017 12,504 12,437 11,948

Kyrgyzstan 6,296 1,857 1,333 1,080 959 656 473 605

Moldova 5,715 2,237 1,660 1,385 1,234 907 786 636

Tajikistan 2,474 1,158 993 827 922 549 434 424

Turkmenistan 1,532 676 352 272 251 168 125 112

Uzbekistan 7,370 3,086 1,974 1,400 1,130 717 595 648

Ukraine 69,116 35,601 24,026 20,585 16,744 13,115 12,640 11,926

to non- CIS countries 86,026 63,408 59,596 54,586 47,937 42,778 33,689 18,799

Australia 297 176 184 144 146 167 209 167

Afghanistan 146 25 18 7 17 2 11 11

Bulgaria 668 180 163 133 156 160 124 116

Germany 48,363 40,443 43,682 42,231 36,928 31,876 21,458 8,229

Greece 886 314 204 190 186 157 155 139

Israel 12,873 9,407 4,835 2,764 2,048 1,733 1,745 1,408

Canada 1,333 841 812 725 701 783 628 552

China 1,222 658 156 151 86 154 456 196

22 World Bank Development Prospects Group (2005) Migration and Remittances Factbook.23 Ibid.

�� Migration in the Russian Federation: A Country Profile 2008

Cuba 89 27 15 6 8 8 2 3

Latvia 636 365 311 256 259 226 211 223

Lithuania 1,162 376 262 293 268 282 213 228

Poland 376 135 84 80 72 57 76 84

Syria 256 54 60 66 58 55 54 42

United States 9,087 4,793 4,527 3,134 3,199 2,919 4,040 3,109

Turkey 356 104 96 80 88 60 85 78

Finland 923 1,142 980 1,110 737 910 737 695

Sweden 151 195 148 162 151 158 110 132

Estonia 702 385 402 321 351 265 225 270

Other coun-tries 6,500 3,788 2,657 2,733 2,478 2,806 3,150 3,117

Source: Goskomstat website

2.2. Status of emigrants

Refugees ...........................................................................159,381 (2006)24

Asylum seekers...................................................................20,670 (2006)25

Table 17. Distribution of refugees and asylum seekers from Russia by country of asylum

Country of asylum refugees asylum seekers (pending cases)

Total 159,381 20,670

United States 86,914 680

Germany 25,347 506

Austria 8,723 6,977

Poland 6,024 1,814

France 5,945 1,914

Belgium 5,425 730

Other countries 21,003 8,049Sources: UNHCR, 2006

24 UNCHR (2006) Statistical Yearbook 2006. Global Trends: Refugees, Asylum-seekers, Returnees, Internally Displaced and Stateless Persons. Figures represent end-of-2006 statistics. Data are provisional and subject to change. Status as of 15 June 2007. The figure refers to “Persons recognized as refugees under the 1951 UN Convention/1967 Protocol, the 1969 OAU Convention, in accordance with the UNHCR Statute, persons granted a complementary form of protection and those granted temporary protection”.

25 Ibid.


Labour migrants

Suspended licenses - 1, cancelled licenses - 4 (as of January-October 2007)

Table 18. Russian citizens who migrated for employment abroad (by gender)

2005 2006 2007 (as of June) Total 60,926 65,747 39,074

Male 50,722 52,185 30,243

Female 10,204 13,562 8,831Source: Federal Migration Service

Table 19. Russian citizens who migrated for employment abroad (by educational status)

2005 2006 2007 (as of June )Total 60,926 65,747 39,074

Higher professional education 20,880 20,901 11,916

Secondary vocational education 23,786 23,381 13,379

General secondary education 15,821 20,857 13,705

No general secondary education 439 608 74


Table 20. Russian citizens who migrated for employment abroad(by duration of employment period)

2006 2007 (as of June)Total 65,747 39,074

Up to 6 months 43,834 27,180

6 months - 1 year 14,949 9,728

1-2 years 1,651 258

2-3 years 1,843 373

3 years and more 3,470 835


�6 Migration in the Russian Federation: A Country Profile 2008

Table 21. Russian citizens who migrated for employment abroad in 2006 (by type of economic activity)

economic activities

employment

before leaving russia abroad

no. % no. %Total 65,747 100.00 65,747 100.00

I. Employment by economic activity 46,197 70.26 65,747 100.00

Fishing and fish farming 3,178 4.83 3,238 4.92

Transport and communications 39,794 60.53 44,758 68.08

- Of which transport 39,771 60.49 44,738 68.05

Education 261 0.40 90 0.14

Health care and social services 186 0.28 132 0.20

Other utility, social, and personal services 1,501 2.28 3,085 4.69

Other economic activities 535 0.81 13,723 20.87

Other economic activities 1,025 1.56 14,186 21.58

II. Unemployed before leaving abroad, except for never been employed before 5,456 8.30 Х Х

III. Never been employed before 14,094 21.44 Х ХSource: Federal Migration Service

Table 22. Russian citizens who migrated for employment abroad in 2005-2007, by destination countries

2005 2006 2007(as of June)

Total 60,926 65,747 39,074

Including: CIS countries, total 478 1,697 907

Other countries, total 60,450 64,050 33,454

Antigua and Barbuda 666 1,053 344

Bahamas 815 1,877 1,119

Belize 1,629 1,831 787

Belgium 961 569 183

Germany 3,272 3,419 1,738

Greece 2,884 2,221 1,102

Italy 544 586 178

Cambodia 1,731 1,849 785

Cyprus 10,492 8,875 4,156

Korea, Republic 542 607 359

Liberia 3,955 3,963 1,803

Luxembourg 600 586 240

Malta 4,424 4,416 2,157


Marshall Islands 897 1,121 632

Netherlands 2,428 2,386 1,421

Norway 1,963 2,006 945

Panama 1,090 1,590 552

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

1,854 1,307 645

Singapore 839 972 417

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 2,428 1,630 819

United States of America 7,409 13,457 8,614

Japan 2,619 1,603 965

Other countries 6,408 6,126 3,493Source: Federal Migration Service

Table 23. Occupation of Russian citizens who migrated for employment abroad

before departure abroad abroad

2005 2006 2007(as of June) 2005 2006 2007

(as of June)

Total 60,926 65,747 39,074 60,926 65,747 39,074

Supervisors 10,711 11,056 6,836 10,890 11,040 6,818

Specialists 16,768 16,999 9,499 17,715 16,898 9,305

Office workers(technical personnel) 101 496 248 134 475 243

Workers 24,013 22,897 10,533 32,187 37,334 22,708

Others 9,333 14,299 11,958 Source: Federal Migration Service


Table 24. Russian citizens who migrated for employment abroad,by category of occupation

2005 2006 2007 (as of June)Total 60,926 65,747 39,074

Including: Those working in foreign-flag vessels

45,283 47,940 25,657

Seasonal workers 198 157 37

Students during vacations 8,250 14,214 11,644

Probationers 445 471 133

Others 6,750 2,965 1,603Source: Federal Migration Service

2.3. Main countries of destination

According to the Development Prospects Group26 of the World Bank, the top 10 destination countries of migrants from the Russian Federation are Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Israel, Uzbekistan, United States, Latvia, Germany, Moldo-va, and Estonia.

Table 25: Selected countries of residence of Russian emigrants

Country no. Year sourceUnited States 340,175 2003 US Census1

Germany 662,000 2006 EurostatUkraine 3,613,240 2001 UKR Census2

Latvia 2,801 2006 Eurostat

1 US Census Bureau (2003) Foreign-Born Population of the United States from the American Community Sur-vey 2003, http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/foreign/datatbls.html

2 State Statistics Committee of Ukraine (2001), http://www.ukrcensus.gov.ua



Table 26. Russian emigration by countries of destination and by year, 2000-2006

Countries 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006Total 145,720 121,166 106,685 94,018 79,795 69,798 54,061

CIS countries 82,312 61,570 52,099 46,081 37,017 36,109 35,262

Azerbaijan 3,187 2,170 1,704 1,771 1,336 1,274 1,366

Armenia 1,519 1,362 1,114 1,098 654 620 686

Belarus 13,276 11,175 8,829 7,016 5,671 6,034 6,318

Georgia 1,802 1,339 964 939 740 691 593

Kazakhstan 17,913 15,186 13,939 14,017 12,504 12,437 11,948

Kyrgyzstan 1,857 1,333 1,080 959 656 473 605

Moldova 2,237 1,660 1,385 1,234 907 786 636

Tadzhikistan 1,158 993 827 922 549 434 424

Turkmenistan 676 352 272 251 168 125 112

Uzbekistan 3,086 1,974 1,400 1,130 717 595 648

Ukraine 35,601 24,026 20,585 16,744 13,115 12,640 11,926

Other countries 63,408 59,596 54,586 47,937 42,778 33,689 18,799

Australia 176 184 144 146 167 209 167

Afghanistan 25 18 7 17 2 11 11

Bulgaria 180 163 133 156 160 124 116

Germany 40,443 43,682 42,231 36,928 31,876 21,458 8,229

Greece 314 204 190 186 157 155 139

Israel 9,407 4,835 2,764 2,048 1,733 1,745 1,408

Canada 841 812 725 701 783 628 552

China 658 156 151 86 154 456 196

Latvia 365 311 256 259 226 211 223

Lithuania 376 262 293 268 282 213 228

Poland 135 84 80 72 57 76 84

United States 4,793 4,527 3,134 3,199 2,919 4,040 3,109

Finland 1,142 980 1,110 737 910 737 695

Sweden 195 148 162 151 158 110 132

Estonia 385 402 321 351 265 225 270

Others 3,973 2,828 2,885 2,632 2,929 3,291 3,240

Sources: Demographic Yearbook of Russia, Moscow, 2006; Population and Migration in the Russian Federation in 2006, Moscow.


Table 27. Educational status of emigrants 14 years and older, 2002-2006

educational status 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006Total 89,589 79,380 66,759 59,228 46,398

Higher professional education 16,479 14,463 12,675 12,215 10,798

Including doctors of sciences 22 14 23 19 23

Candidates of sciences 83 59 53 52 42

Incomplete higher education 2,666 2,633 2,187 1,889 1,611

Secondary vocational education 24,658 22,009 18,624 16,250 12,598

General secondary education 29,569 26,184 21,434 19,085 13,613

Basic secondary education 12,236 10,690 9,046 7,609 5,488

Primary education or no education 3,981 3,401 2,793 2,180 1,495

Educational status not specified 795Source: Population and Migration in the Russian Federation, Moscow, the Rosstat, 2002-2006.


3. reMittanCes

3.1. Quantitative aspects of remittances

The low proportion of remittances as a percentage of Russian GDP (0.3% in 2006)27 demonstrates that this phenomenon is currently of minor importance for the Russian economy.28 However, the continuous growth of remittances in the past five years indicates that it might increase in proportion in the coming decade. This trend can already be observed in the region of the CIS countries.29 But, as shown in Table 30, the outward remittance flows from Russia to migrants’ countries of origin has grown much steeper than the inward flows sent by Rus-sians abroad.

Table 28. Amount of incoming migrant remittances to Russia30

Year remittances (million usD)2003 1,453

2004 2,495

2005 2,918

2006 3,091

2007 (estimate) 4,000

Source: World Bank

27 Ibid.28 Central Bank of the Russian Federation (2005), Cross Border Remittances, Russian Experience, p. 8, http://

www.adb.org/Documents/Events/2005/ADB-IADB-MIF-UNDP/cbr-the-russian-experience.pdf29 Quillin, Bryce, Carlo Segni, Sophie Sirtaine and Ilias Skamnelos (2007) Remittances in the CIS Countries: A

Study of Selected Corridors, Chief Economist’s Regional Working Paper Series, Finance and Private Sector Development Department, Vol. 2, No. 2, p. 5.



Table 29. Remittances to and from the Russian Federation, 2000-200631

remittances (million usD) 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006Inward remittance flows 1,275 1,403 1,359 1,453 2,668 3,117 3,308

of whichWorkers’ remittances

- 363 232 300 1,098 820 983

Compensation of employees 500 624 704 814 1,206 1,714 1,647

Migrants’ transfer 775 416 423 339 364 583 678

Outward remittance flows 1,101 1,823 2,226 3,233 5,188 6,989 11,438

of whichWorkers’ remittances

- 421 788 1,306 2,672 3,051 4,587

Compensation of employees 232 493 507 958 1,464 2,921 6,038

Migrants’ transfers 867 908 931 969 1,052 1,017 813

Sources: World Bank, Development Prospects Group.

Tables 27 and 28 above report the officially recorded remittances. The true size of remittances, including unrecorded flows through formal and informal channels, is believed to be larger.

For comparison, Table 29 below shows the amount of remittances as reg-istered by the Central Bank of Russia (CBR). The CBR records the remittances of physical persons as performed by selected (most important) money transfer systems32 and the Postal Service of Russia.

31 World Bank, Development Prospects Group (2007) Migration and Remittances Factbook.32 Including 16 international payment systems (Western Union, MoneyGram, and others).


Table 30. Remittances sent via money transfer systems in 2006

Destination country

remittances from russia(million usD)

share (%) sourcecountry

remittances to russia

(million usD)share (%)

Total 6,005 100.0 Total 1,304 100.0

Uzbekistan 1,000 16.7 United States 190 14.6

Tadzhikistan 957 15.9 Kazakhstan 154 11.8

Ukraine 927 15.4 Uzbekistan 92 7.0

Armenia 604 10.1 Ukraine 88 6.8

Moldova 525 8.7 Germany 62 4.8

Kyrgyzstan 438 7.3 Italy 50 3.9

Georgia 344 5.7 UnitedKingdom 44 3.3

China 278 4.6 Kyrgyzstan 44 3.3

Kazakhstan 86 1.4 Spain 42 3.2

Othercountries 405 6.7 Other

countries 481 36.9

Source: Central Bank of Russia.

Data from CBR shows an increase in remittances from Russia in 2006 by 64 per cent in comparison with the outward remittances in 2005, and by 120 per cent from the level in 2004. Remittances to Russia grew slower at a rate of 25 per cent from 2005 to 2006 in comparison to 68 per cent in 2004.

Comparing the figures of the World Bank and the Russian Central Bank on the total amounts of registered remittances into and out of Russia in 2006 (the only year shown in the CBR data), the World Bank totals are much larger, perhaps due to the different methodology used.

As to the bilateral data on the total amounts of remittance flows between Russia and individual countries, the CBR figures from 2006 are, however, close to those presented by the World Bank.33 The bilateral remittance figures of the World Bank are actually estimates calculated by the World Bank and the Univer-sity of Sussex Development Research Centre, using migrant stocks and incomes both in the countries of destination and origin of the migrants.

Thus, according to such calculations published by the Development Pros-pects Group of the World Bank,34 the most important remittance-sending coun-

33 These data are estimated using assumptions and arguments as explained in Ratha and Shaw (2006), South-South Migration and Remittances, Development Prospects Group, World Bank. http://www.worldbank.org/prospects/migrationandremittances.

34 Ibid


tries or source countries of migrants’ remittances to Russia in 2005 were Ukraine (USD 1,220 million), Kazakhstan (USD 461 million), Israel (USD 212 million), Belarus (USD 189 million), United States (USD 166 million), Uzbekistan (USD 111 million), and Germany (USD 78 million).

Meanwhile, the key countries receiving remittances from Russia in 2005 were Armenia (USD 484 million), Azerbaijan (USD 432 million), Moldova (USD 340 million), Tadzhikistan (USD 268 million), Ukraine (USD 309 million), Bela-rus (USD 168 million), Georgia (USD 201 million), Kyrgyzstan (USD 138 mil-lion), and Kazakhstan (USD 122 million).35

The World Bank figures do not include remittances from Russia to China and Uzbekistan. Citizens of these two countries occupy the first and third places, respectively, by the number of persons officially engaged in the economy of Rus-sia (see Table 29). In 2006, Uzbekistan was the foremost recipient of remittances from Russia, estimated at more than one billion US dollars,36 and this is expected to increase further in 2007.

During the period January-September 2007, the remittances received by pri-vate persons in Russia were USD 1,193 billion based on CBR data. Remittances sent by physical persons from Russia amounted to USD 6,317 million (including USD 5,733 million sent to the CIS countries). The main recipient countries were Uzbekistan (USD 1,100 million), Tadzhikistan (USD 1,080 million), Ukraine (USD 925 million), Armenia (USD 629 million), Moldova (USD 536 million), Kyrgyzstan (USD 476 million), and Azerbaijan (USD 445 million).

Individual transfers

According to CBR data, the average amount of remittance transfers from the CIS countries show a steady increase during the last couple of years. In 2006, the average transfer rose to USD 511 from USD 457 in 2005, and further to USD 531 in the third quarter of 2007. The average amount of remittance transfer to Uzbekistan was USD 593; to Tadzhikistan, USD 541; to Ukraine, USD 445; and to Moldova, USD 558. According to experts at the CBR, the reason for the higher average amount of remittance transfer to Uzbekistan and Tadzhikistan compared with that in Ukraine is because the transfers to Uzbekistan and Tadzhikistan are consolidated transfers, meaning the money resources of several people are given to one authorized representative who transfer the remittances as a single amount.37

35 Ibid.36 Mukomel and Mkrtchyan (2008), Ibid.37 http://www.cbr.ru/search/print.asp?File=/statistics/crossborder/cross-border_06.htm


Several factors have contributed to the recent growth of individual amounts sent from Russia. First, the steady growth of wages in Russia (the average wage increased from 5,500 rubles in 2003 to 14,406 rubles in November 2007) has made larger transfers possible. Second, the strengthening of the ruble-dollar ex-change rate (the ruble appreciated by 23% in 2003-2007) has made the dollar figure larger. Third, it is believed that the increased trust and confidence to the payment systems and the decrease in the amount of transfer commissions have contributed to the growth of the individual transfers. In 2006, the average com-mission charged to the client by the transfer systems for sending remittances abroad was 3.7 per cent of the transferred amount. Given the average transferred amount of between USD 500 and USD 600, the average commission was about USD 20. As illustrated in Figure 2, the commission has considerably decreased over the last few years. The greatest decrease was from USD 100 to USD 200. On average, the amount of commission decreased by 7 and 13 per cent in 2006, compared to 2005 and 2004, respectively.

Figure 2. Changes in average commission(for transactions from Russia via payment systems)

Source: http://www.cbr.ru/search/print.asp?File=/statistics/crossborder/cross-border_06.htm named Transboundary opera-tions of natural persons according to RF Central Bank

8%

7%

6%

5%

4%

3%

2%0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000

2003 2004 2005 2006


3.2. Qualitative aspects of remittances

Formal transfers are made through money transfer systems and through the Russian Postal Service. Money transfer operators (MTOs) represent a growing market given the improvements in macroeconomic conditions, the proliferation of advanced technologies, and the liberalization of such markets in the country and in the region.38 Nevertheless, many transfers occur through other channels, such as financial and credit institutions with links to organized crime organiza-tions, or using the services of Russian nationals in order to escape the widespread phenomenon of migrant workers falling prey to swindlers.39

As previously mentioned, the amount of remittances being sent to Russia in 2006 was 0.3 per cent of the GDP.40 In-kind remittances were also sent. These remittances were of greatest importance to vulnerable groups such as pensioners, single persons, and one-parent families, among others. Generally, remittances were important sources of income in the beginning of the 1990s, when the stand-ard of living sharply decreased immediately following the fall of Communism and emigration from Russia was about ten times higher than today.

As to the specific use of the received money transfers, no data were found as to their use for investment vis-à-vis consumption.

Aside from the transfer payment system (MTOs, Russian Postal Service) and banking system, traditional transfer channels (for example, bringing the money by hand) are used. According to CBR estimates, the share of the money personally brought through the border in 2005 did not exceed 20 per cent of the officially registered transfers.

In Russia , remittances that are directed outside the country have received much more public attention than the flows from abroad into Russia. As the remit-tance flows out of the country have grown much larger than the money known to have been sent to Russia, this has made the mass media, politicians, and officials critical of remittances given the seeming imbalance between the amount received by and sent from Russia. Experts, however, point out that remittances only play a marginal role in weakening the external balance of payments.

38 Quillin, Bryce, Carlo Segni, Sophie Sirtaine and Ilias Skamnelos ( 2007) op. cit., p. 539 Tishkov, Valery, Zhanna Zayinchkovskaya and Galina Vitkovskaya (2005) Migration in the Countries of the

Former Soviet Union, op. cit., p.29.40 World Bank, Development Prospects Group (2006)


4. Migrant CoMMunities/Diasporas

With approximatively 20-25 million people, the Russian diaspora is one of the largest in the world. The Russian population and other ethnic groups based for the most part in the territory of Russia is believed to reach up to 23 million, 20 million of whom to live in the states of the former USSR41 and about 3 million in other countries, mostly in the United States and Canada.42

4.1. Description of relationship between diasporas and country of origin

The relationship between Russian authorities and Russians living abroad has evolved through structures of financial support and social organizations pro-viding support.43 So far, no elaborate network structures have been created, and the only official links that exist between the diaspora and the country of origin appear to be through the support of veterans, pensioners, and socially vulnerable Russian groups living abroad. Further evidence to the weakness of this official relationship can be found in the increasingly important role played by American and European foundations dealing with the young Russian-speaking elite,44 as well as by other organizations in the countries of destination that are involved with Russian communities at the economic, cultural and scientific levels.

Russia’s severe demographic decline45 has led the authorities to make ef-forts in attracting Russians of the diaspora to return to their homeland, focusing their attention on the emigrant elite.46 However, the appeals from compatriots to the diaspora to return have met only limited success.47

The state policy concerning compatriots abroad goes as a separate item in the federal budget. The expenditure related to implementation of the State pro-

41 According to the census in the CIS countries and Baltic republics, the Russian population is about 18.2 million and about 2.1 million are other ethnic Russians.

42 Kabuzan, V. (1996) Russians of the World, Russian Baltic Information Center “BLITZ”, St. Petersburg, p.21. According to other estimates, their number may be 10-12 million people.

43 Yatsenko, Elena (2007) Russia’s Diaspora Capital: Key Actors and Conditions for Accumulation, Eurasia Heritage Foundation, http://www.eurasianhome.org/xml/t/expert.xml?lang=en&nic=expert&pid=1361

44 Ibid.45 From 148 million in 1992 to 142 million in 2006. See World Bank, Development Prospects Group (2007)

Migration and Remittances Factbook.46 Heleniak, Timothy (2002) Russia Beckons, but Diaspora Wary, Migration Policy Institute, http://www.migra-

tioninformation.org/Feature/print.cfm?ID=5647 Ibid.


gramme for rendering assistance with regards to willful compatriot migration to the Russian Federation is financed by another item in the budget.

Government and other agencies dealing with the Russian diaspora

• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation

The Ministry promotes development of relations and contacts with compa-triots living abroad. It carries out protection of legitimate rights and interests of compatriots living abroad, according to the norms of international law.

32/34, Smolenskaya-Sennaya ploshadMoscow, 119200, RussiaTel.: +7 (495) 244-16-06http://www.mid.ru

Correspondence and private issues department (MFA reception desk)Tel.: +7 (495) 244-22-83, fax: +7 (495) 244-34-48E-mail: [email protected]

• Governmental Commissions for Affairs of Compatriots Abroad

The Commission is a coordinating body of the Government of the Russian Federation providing coordination support for the activities of federal executive authorities and executive authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. The administrative responsibility for the commission lies with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia.

• Interdepartmental Commission for Implementation of the State Pro-gramme on Assisting Willful Migration to the Russian Federation of the Compatriots Living Abroad

This is a collegial body that controls the State programme on assisting willful migration to the Russian Federation of compatriots living abroad, and also monitors its implementation.

The Commission’s organizational support is carried out by divisions of the Administration of the President of Russia while system support is provided by the FMS of Russia.


• Russian Center of the International Scientific and Cultural Cooperation under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia (Roszarubezhcenter)

The Roszarubezhcenter’s principal activities are:

o providing information support for the external and internal policy of Russia and assisting in the formation of positive perception of the image of modern Russia in the global community

o assisting in the development of comprehensive connections of compatriots with the historical motherland and interaction with the Russian-speaking di-asporas abroad

o strengthening of positions of the Russian language in the worldo preserving the high reputation abroad of the national system of higher educa-

tiono conducting cultural and educational activities abroad and assisting in the de-

velopment of business and cultural relations of Russia with other countrieso assisting in the development of scientific, technical and business cooperation

of Russia with foreign countries.

14, Vozdvizhenka Street, MoscowTel.: +7(495) 290-12-45http://www.rusintercenter.ru/http://www.rusintercenter.ru/?lang=ru&menu=70 (for the Roszarubezh-center’s foreign representations and Russian centers of science and culture).

• Federal Migration Service (FMS) of Russia

The FMS participates in the implementation of the state policy of the Rus-sian Federation concerning compatriots abroad.

16, Zhitnaya Street, Moscow, 117049, RussiaTel.: +7(495) 923-89-45http://www.fms.gov.ru

• Ministry of Regional Development (Minregion) of the Russian Federation

The Ministry arranges the implementation of regional programmes for as-sisting willful migration to the Russian Federation of compatriots living abroad.


10/23, Sadovaya-Samotechnaya StreetBdg 1, Moscow, 127994, RussiaTel.: +7(495) 980-25-47Fax: +7 (495) 699-38-41http://www.minregion.ru/

• Ministry of Education and Science (Minobrnauki ) of the Russian Fed-eration

11, Tverskaya Street, 125993, Moscow, RussiaTel.: +7(495) 629-70-62Fax +7(495) 921-70-48http://www.mon.gov.ru

• Federal Education Agency (Rosobrazovanie)

The Agency organizes selection of youth from among the compatriots liv-ing abroad for studying in higher and vocational educational institutions in the Russian Federation. It also arranges Russian training in the countries of resi-dence.

51, Lyusinovskaya Street, 113833, Moscow, RussiaTelephone: +7(495) 237-97-63http://www.ed.gov.ru

• Ministry of Culture and Mass Communications (Minkultury) of the Russian Federation

7, Kitaygorodskiy proezd, 193693, Moscow, RussiaTel.: +7(495) 925-11-95http://www.mkmk.ru

• Federal Agency for Press and Mass Communications (Rospechat)

5, Strastnoy Boulevard, 127994, Moscow, Russia

• Committee for the Affairs of the Community of Independent States of the Council of Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Fed-eration


26, Bolshaya Dmitrovka Street, 103426, Moscow, RussiaTel. : +7(495) 692-07-18 ; Fax: +7(495) 692-59-36http://www.council.gov.ru/committee/item540.html

• Committee for the Affairs of the Community of Independent States and

Relations with Compatriots of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation

1, Okhotniy Ryad Street, 103265, Moscow, RussiaTel.: +7(495) 692-59-95, 692-22-35, 692-53-18http://www.duma.gov.ru

• Human Rights Commissioner (Ombudsman) of the Russian Federa-tion

47, Myasnitskaya Street, 107084, Moscow, RussiaTel.: +7(495) 207-34-12 факс: +7(495) 207-39-77; +7(495) 207-53-37 (press service); +7(495) 207-42-90 (international depart-

ment)E-mail: [email protected]://wwwombudsman.gov.ru,

• Moscow Government

13, Tverskaya Street, 125032, Moscow, Russia36/9, Noviy Arbat Street, 121205, Moscow, RussiaTel.: + 7 (495) 777-77-77http://www.mos.ru

Department of the International RelationsTel. : +7(495) 725-04-82http://www.moskvaimir.mos.ru/dms/activity/support

Department of the Relations with the CIS countries and Baltic Republics, the Compatriots Abroad Division

Tel.: +7(495) 957-01-50


• St. Petersburg Government

The Saint Petersburg Administration, Smolniy, 191060Fax: +7 (812) 576-78-27E-mail : [email protected]://www.gov.spb.ru

External Relations and Tourism Committee: http://www.kvs.spb.ru/ruRelations with national associations of Saint Petersburgand compatriots abroad:Tel.: +7(812) 576-71-59, 70-85Fax: +7(812) 576-45-84

• “The Russian World” Foundation

The Foundation (http://www.russkiymir.ru/) was formed according to Decree No. 796 (21 June 2007) of the President of Russia. Its founders on behalf of the Russian Federation are the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education and Science.

• “The Rodina” (Motherland) Association (http://www.association-rodina.ru/site/)

• “The Russia and Compatriots” Foundation (http://www.russiane.org)

Information support and communication

• “The Russian Line” Information Agency (http://www.rusk.ru)

• Network Center for the Russians Abroad (http://www.russkie.org/) of the Institute for the Russians Abroad

• Compatriot Information Portal (http://compatriot.su/) of the Institute of the Eurasian Research Development Foundation

• Compatriot Portal (http://www.russedina.ru)


4.2. Migrant communities/diasporas’ organizations by country of.destination

(Please note the lists below do not purport to be exhaustive or representa-tive. IOM does not take responsibility for the accuracy of the contact details.)

Worldwide• USSR Russian Net Community (http://www.saumita.com/ussr/cindex.html)• American RU (http://www.americaru.com/)

Diaspora organizations abroad • International Council of the Russian Compatriots (http://www.msrs.ru)

• For a list of organizations of the Russian compatriot abroad,48 see.:o the website of the Moscow House of the Compatriot (http://www.mosds.

ru/Soot/soot_org1.shtml)o the Materik Portal (http://www.materik.ru/index.php?section=diaspora)

Migrant community/diaspora organizations in Russia

For a list of migrant organizations, see the website of the Forum of Reset-tled Organizations (http://db.ngo.ru/fair.nsf/MigrantByTitle?OpenView&count=1000).

Migrant communities, as a rule, are organized according to ethnicity. Many migrants take part in the work of national cultural autonomies (NCA) and nation-al cultural centers. A total of 17 federal NCAs and over 350 regional NCAs have been created according to the Federal Law on the National Cultural Autonomy No. 74-FL of 17 June 1996, and many national cultural centers also function today.

For a list of NCAs, see the website of the Center of Interethnic Coopera-tion.(http://www.interethnic.org/CNO.htm).

48 The compatriots abroad, according to the Russian law, are understood as follows: the citizens of the Russian Federation permanently living abroad; the persons having the citizenship of the USSR and living in the new independent states; natives (emigrants) of Russia and the USSR; and descendants of the persons belonging to the abovementioned groups, except for the descendants of persons of the eponymous ethnic groups of the foreign states (The Federal Law About the State Policy of the Russian Federation Concerning Compatriots Abroad, 24 May 1999, No. 99-FZ, Article 1, Part 2).


5. irregular Migration

5.1. Numbers/estimates of irregular movements

Irregular immigration into the Russian Federation

Russia is primarily a destination country for irregular migrants; secondly, a transit state for those on their way to Western and Central Europe; and thirdly, a country of exit for Russian citizens who intend to live or work irregularly in other countries.

The major route of irregular migrants arriving in Russia is through the southern borders—the states of Central Asia and Trans-Caucasus, of which Rus-sia has agreements for crossing t on visa-free terms.

The CIS countries are estimated to be the main sources of irregular migra-tion to the Russian Federation. As for other source areas abroad, Southeast Asia is said to be prominent. Along the nearly 20,000 km land border of the Russian Federation, the borders with China, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan are said to be among the most preferred sections for illegal crossings into Russia. As transit migrants from the CIS and from elsewhere try to make their way through Russia to Central and Western Europe, the illegal crossings in the Western borders are often much more difficult. This “asymmetry of the borders” is one of the reasons why many irregular migrants planning to transit through Russia get “stuck” in the country.49

In 2007, the number of irregular migrants reportedly decreased due to the new migration law which came into force and the modification of procedures of reception of temporary stays and labour permits. According to the FMS, irregular migrants in 2006 totaled 10 to 15 million, but this was said to have gone down to 5-7 million in 2007.50 However, some experts considered these figures for 2006 and 2007 overestimated.

Indeed, World Bank researchers cite estimations that vary between 3 and 3.5 million of irregular migrants currently living in Russia.51 According to pre-

49 ICMPD (2005) 50 FMS Director K. Romodanovskiy, 18 December 2007.51 Quillin, Bryce, Carlo Segni, Sophie Sirtaine and Ilias Skamnelos (2007) Remittances in the CIS countries: A

Study of Selected Corridors, op. cit., p. 7.


vious estimates of the Russian Ministry of Labour,52 about 3-5 million irregular labour migrants were residing in the Russian Federation or nearly eight per cent of the Russian working-age population. Additionally, estimates of the Russian Federal Border Service indicate some 1.5 million irregular migrants from South-ern and Central Asia, and Africa residing in the Russian territory.53 Also, based on the figures of the FMS, over 93,000 employers were using the services of irregular foreign workers in 2004, and about 713,000 foreign citizens fall in the category of irregular workers.54

Ivakhnouk (2006)55 presents a larger estimate of 5–15 million irregular migrants (in general terms, not only irregular labour migrants) in all the CIS with “the most part in the Russian Federation”. Ivakhniouk points out that the development of the private sector in Russia in the 1990s and its growing need for labour, as well as the migration flows from CIS countries given their high un-employment rate and lower salaries (such as Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, and Moldova), have propelled irregular migration into Russia spontane-ously. Unfortunately, there has been no full documentation of its extent.

With insufficient channels for regular labour migration and lack of official migration infrastructure and legislation, a large irregular regional labour market has developed. This situation has also been taken advantage of by international networks of criminal organizations specializing in human trafficking. Human traffickers are said to be benefiting from the gaps in national legislation on mi-gration, the lack of official migration infrastructure, and the highly bureaucratic procedures for getting job permits, amidst the growing demand for migrant la-bour in Russia.

As to the main sources of irregular foreign labour, the Federal Ministry of Labour reports the Caucasus countries, China, Vietnam, and the Central Asian countries.56

52 Cited in ICMPD (2005): Overview of the Migration Systems in the CIS Countries.53 Ibid.54 Ibid.55 Ivakhnyuk, Irina (2006) “Migration in the CIS Region: Common Problems and Mutual Benefits”, An expert

paper presented at the International Symposium on International Migration and Development, United Nations Population Division, 28-30 June 2006, Turin, Italy.

56 Cited in ICMPD (2005), Ibid.


Table 31. Violations of the Migration Law of the Russian Federation

2005 2007 2007 (as of June)Violations to stay (residence) regulation 1,514,759 1,403,261 282,074

Illegal labour activity 49,938 54,280 3,008

Violations to immigration regulation 1,103 649 218

Source: Information Analysis Center, MIA of Russia.

5.2. Figures and information on return migration flows

Inflows

Table 32. IOM assisted voluntary returns to the Russian Federation, 2005-2006

return from: 2005 2006 totalAustria 26 72 98

Belgium 210 159 369

Czech Republic 20 41 61

Finland 2 2

Germany 399 407 806

Hungary 7 3 10

Ireland 3 6 9

Italy 13 3 16

Lithuania 16 16

Netherlands 98 104 202

Norway 66 65 131

Poland 25 402 427

Portugal 19 8 27

Serbia and Montenegro 3 3

Slovakia 21 12 33

Spain 5 5

Switzerland 10 4 14

United Kingdom 39 64 103

Ukraine 1 1

Other 3 1 4

Total 977 1 360 2 337

Source: Provisional statistics from IOM’s AVR Service Area, IOM Headquarters, Geneva, January 2008


Outflows

Based on the records of the FMS, the number of foreign citizens deported from Russia (in thousands of persons) is 80.3 for 2005, 55.8 for 2007, and 24.0 for 2007 (January to October).

5.3. Figures and information on trafficking

According to the former Interior Minister of the Russian Federation Ana-toly Kulikov, Russia is a provider, “transiter”, and consumer of human merchan-dise. For migrants from CIS countries, Russia is a consumer, and for those who are inclined to seeking sexual services abroad, it is a provider. More than 500,000 Russian-speaking women are said to have been trafficked for sexual exploita-tion.57 Estimates of the yearly number of trafficked Russian women vary from 35,000 to 57,750.58

Numerous reasons have been given to explain the presence of human traf-ficking in Russia, such as:

• the practically transparent state borders between Russia and the CIS coun-tries

• the increase in migration flows outside and inside of Russia• the developed internal human trafficking system in Russia as one of the

spheres of criminal business activities, including the use of forced labour• the globalization of organized crime due the existence of stable channels of

“deliveries”.

Similarly, migration reports note that Russia is both a country of origin and of destination for human trafficking. Tishkov et al. (2005)59 estimate that some 50,000 women from Russia are involved in illegal sex trade in Western countries, and an equal number from China and Southeast Asia is also reportedly involved. Additionally, Ivakhniouk (2006)60 claims that men, women, and children from

57 1. http://gzt.ru/society/2008/02/12/220004.html 2. The Coordinator of the Inter-Agency Working Group is E. Mizulina, Permanent Representative of the State

Duma in the Constitutional Court of Russia. 3. From 2004 the Legislative Committee of the State Duma was renamed into the Committee of civil, crimi-

nal, constitutional and procedural legislation.58 United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) (2004) Transport of Women and Children from Russia with the

Goal of Sexual Exploitation, Moscow. 59 Tishkov, Valery, Zhanna Zayinchkovskaya and Galina Vitkovskaya (2005) “Migration in the Countries of

the Former Soviet Union”, A paper prepared for the Policy Analysis and Research Programme of the Global Commission on International Migration.

60 Ivakhnyuk, Irina (2006) “Migration in the CIS Region: Common Problems and Mutual Benefits”, An expert paper presented at the International Symposium on International Migration and Development, United Nations Population Division, 28-30 June 2006, Turin, Italy.


poorer CIS countries are trafficked to Russia for labour exploitation. The author adds that “hundreds of thousands” of Tajik, Kyrgyz, Moldovan, and Uzbek mi-grants are taken to Russia for seasonal employment in construction and agricul-ture. Their seasonal earnings provide sustenance to the families they left behind while they endure hardships and sufferings such as the violation of their human rights and exposure to serious health risks.

Tishkov et al. confirm that in Central Asia, trafficking also occurs frequent-ly among men, who are sold for slave labour in Russia. The problem of traffick-ing to Russia of young girls and women, in particular those from Moldova and Ukraine, is also said to have increased.

Since 1999, IOM has been collecting statistical information on victims of trafficking that the organization has assisted in its return and rehabilitation pro-grammes. Although not all IOM-assisted victims have been entered into IOM’s database, figures at the end of 2007 point to nearly 12,800 victims assisted. As the information is collected only from victims who have benefited from IOM’s pro-grammes, the sample can be regarded as incomplete and not representative of the total number of trafficking victims. Still, the IOM data can give relevant informa-tion particularly on the profile of the potential victims to be targeted in prevention activities. The data can likewise reveal information that can support law enforce-ment officials in apprehending and prosecuting criminal organizations.

At the end of 2007, the IOM database contained information on 233 vic-tims of Russian origin. A total of 222 were female and only 11 were male. These Russian victims had ended up in 23 different countries of destination, which were in the regions IOM has a good coverage of counter-trafficking programmes and where the data on the victims were gathered. These regions and destination coun-tries include the Balkans (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Kosovo, FYRoM, and Albania), East and South Eastern Europe (Ukraine, Belarus, Bulgaria, Cy-prus, Greece, Moldova), the Middle East (Turkey, United Arab Emirates), and the Caucasus and Central Asia (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazahstan, and Kyrgyzstan). In Western Europe, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland figured among the destination countries. The victims who ended up in the Balkans had arrived through many different routes, with Hungary, Romania, Ukraine, Croatia, Bulgaria, and even Sweden and Argentina being used as transit countries.

For the 233 Russian victims in the database, Turkey was by far the most important country of destination, with almost half of the victims (111 persons) having ended up there. The other destination countries had much lower figures, with Belarus (22), the Russian Federation (19 victims of internal trafficking), and


the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (18 Russian victims) following after Turkey.

Recruitment

In the sample (233 Russian victims), 62 per cent were recruited through personal contact, nine per cent through newspaper advertisement, one per cent (two victims) through internet advertisement, and four per cent through other methods. For the remaining 25 per cent, the recruitment method was not included in the information and therefore was unknown. In 18 per cent of the 233 cases, the sex of the recruiter was not registered, but in 51 per cent of the 191 known cases, the recruiter was female, and in 45 per cent, male, while both men and women did the recruitment in four per cent of the cases (eight victims).

Giving the applicants false promises of an overseas job was the predomi-nant method used by recruiters. In 66 per cent of the sample for whom there was information of the promised jobs, the jobs mentioned included waitressing, danc-ing, selling, child care, agricultural work, and begging. Prostitution was signified to 23 victims (10%) and sweatshop labour to 7 victims. However, as many as 205 or 88 per cent of the sample ended in sexual exploitation, 18 (nearly 8%) in forced labour, while 3 victims faced both types of exploitation. Another 7 victims suffered yet other types of exploitation.

Profile of victims of trafficking

For the profile of the 233 Russian victims, the database revealed that 17 (7.3%) were minors, 134 (58%) fell in the age bracket 18-24, 51 (22%) in the age bracket 25-30, and only 31 (13%) were over 30 years.

In 189 victims (81%), the educational level was known. Twelve (5%) had finished only primary or elementary school, 76 (33%) reached middle school, 57 (24.5%) had a high school diploma, 176 (93%) had finished technical training, and 26 (11%) had university studies.

The marital status was known in 204 cases and unknown for the remain-ing 29. A total of 143 victims (61%) indicated that they were single, 36 were di-vorced, 4 were separated, and 5 were widows. Only 14 were married and 2 were living in common law relationships. No less that 74 or almost 32 per cent of the 233 victims had indicated that they had children, and 12 of them had more than one child.


Out of 233, 133 said that they worked in Russia at the time of the recruit-ment while 13 did not. For 87, there was no information given. For the 133 who worked, 77 were office employees (either in private or public sector), 9 worked in the industrial sector, and the rest in agriculture, domestic work, and sex industry.

A total of 179 answered to the question of the economic situation of their families. Only one of them characterized it as well-off while 44 (25%) described it as standard, 106 (59%) as poor, and 28 (16%) as very poor.

Trafficking routes

Experts identified several basic routes used by “transporters” in taking people out of the Russian Federation:

The Baltic route through Lithuania, as well as the Central European route through Warsaw and Prague are regarded as the easiest methods to transport il-legal migrants to Germany, Scandinavia and other European countries, and the United States. Recently, these countries have substantially tightened their cross-border travel rules. Nonetheless, European countries and the United States re-main main destination countries for human trafficking out of Russia.

The Caucasus (or Georgian) transit route is made easier by the weak bor-ders with Turkey.

Experts note that the majority of irregular migrants, including women and children, have beentransported via Georgia into Turkey, Greece, and the Mediter-ranean countries for sexual and labour exploitation.

Large resorts in Europe and Asia and armed conflict zones or regions where military and peacekeeping forces are stationed (in this case primarily those in the Balkans) are regarded as notable trafficking hubs for sexual exploitation of women. Routes through Egypt and into Israel as well as other Middle Eastern countries are also common. In particular, many women and children are taken from the southern regions of Russia to the United Arab Emirates for sexual ex-ploitation.

Evidence of trafficking for labour exploitation has been found in countries with large Russian diasporas such as in Germany, Turkey, Portugal, and other southern European countries to which labourers are primarily transported for the harvest of citrus fruit and other agricultural work.


China-bound human trafficking is divided into the China-Siberia and the China-Primorsky Region routes. Russia’s policies in the early 1990s, to attract greater Chinese tourists and to harbour good neighbouring country relations, re-sulted in a large influx of Chinese citizens settling in Russia’s far-east region. Chinese criminal groups have become a large problem for the law enforcement authorities of the Primorsky and Khabarovsk Regions and neighboring areas. The Chinese trafficking business has enormous potential. It is extremely stable, is geared to long-term activity, and is organized more like a business activity than a traditional criminal group activity. In contrast, the Russian human trafficking business is not marked by stability and is oriented more towards immediate profit, with its working slogan often being “grab a buck and lay low”. For this reason, Russian organized criminal gangs engaged in human trafficking adopt particu-larly harsh manners and methods of control.

Russia is also a destination country for human trafficking routes from CIS countries and poor Asian regions. Almost all CIS states are involved in the traf-ficking of people into Russia as origin countries. The most vulnerable populations are those from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Armenia, Moldova, and Ukraine. For all these countries, Russia is one of the main destination coun-tries for human trafficking for the purpose of labour and sexual exploitation.61

61 E.V. Tiurukanova and the Institute for Urban Economics (2006) Human Trafficking in the Russian Federation, Inventory and Analysis of the Current Situation and Responses. Report conducted for the UN/IOM Working Group on Trafficking in Human Beings, Moscow, pp.23-25.


Figure 3. Trafficking routes used in taking people out and into the Russian Federation

Source: http://www.undp.ru/index.phtml?iso=RU&lid=1&cmd=publications1&id=54 <http://www.undp.ru/index.phtml?iso=RU&lid=1&cmd=publications1&id=54> Human Trafficking in the Russian Federation. Inventory and Analysis of the Current Situation and Responses/Report conducted by E.V. Turukanova and the Institute for Urban Economics for UN/IOM Working Group on Trafficking in Human Beings, Moscow 2006. p. 25


6. assessMent anD analYsis of Migration issues

6.1. Government institutions responsible for migration policy

Agencies responsible for migration policy and contacts with expatriate community

The Federal Migration Service (FMS) is the key agency responsible for the migration policy in the Russian Federation. It functions under the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA). The jurisdiction of the FMS covers the following:

• general strategy of the state migration policy• registration of citizens of the Russian Federation in their place of stay and

residence within the border of the country and control of citizens’ and of-ficials’ compliance with the rules of registration

• registration and issuance to foreign citizens and stateless persons of entry and residence documents

• control of compliance by foreign citizens and stateless persons with the resi-dence and temporary stay regulations of the Russian Federation

• prevention of illegal migration• execution of the law of the Russian Federation with regard to refugees and

forced immigrants, and granting of political asylum to foreign citizens and stateless persons

• control and supervision of external labour migration, engagement of foreign workers in the Russian Federation, and employment of citizens of the Rus-sian Federation abroad.

The FMS is located in Moscow. Each of the constituent entities of the Rus-sian Federation has a territorial branch of the Service.

16, Zhitnay Street, 117049, Moscow, RussiaTel.: +7(495) 923-89-45http://www.fms.gov.ru


The Ministry of Health and Social Development develops state policy in the field of labour migration and prepares reports on the practicability of en-gagement and use of foreign labour.

3, Rakhmanosvkiy pereulok, GSP-4, 127994, Moscow, RussiaTel.: (495) 628 4453http://www.mzsrrf.ru

The Federal Labor and Employment Service (Rostrud) has control and supervision functions in the field of labour, employment, and alternative civil service, rendering of state services in the field of assistance of employment of the population and protection against unemployment, and labour migration and settlement of collective labour disputes. Its work is coordinated by the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation.

1/2, Birzhevaya ploshad, 109012, Moscow, RussiaTel.: +7(495) 298-84-36http://www.rostrud.info

Other key offices involved in migration policy

• Office of the President of Russian Federation 103132, Moscow, Ilinka Str, 23

• State Duma of Russian Federation 103265, Moscow, Mokhovaya, 7 Tel.: +7(495) 692-80-00 Fax:+7(495) 203-42-58 E-mail: [email protected]

• Ministry of Foreign Affairs 119200 Moscow, Smolenskaya-Sennaya, 32/34 Tel.: +7 (495) 244-16-06 Fax: +7 (495) 244-34-48 E-mail: [email protected]

• Federal Security Service 101000, Moscow, Kuznetskiy most,22

Tel.: +7 (495) 924-31-58 E-mail : [email protected] http://www.fsb.ru


• Ministry of Interior 119049, Moscow, Zhitnaya St., 16 Tel: + 7 (495) 622-66-69 http://www.mvd.ru/contacts/10000005/

• Office of Prosecutor General 125993, ГСП-3, Moscow

Bolshaya Dmitrovka, 15а Tel.: +7 (495) 692-26-82

6.2. International legal framework in place relevant to migra-tion.

According to Voronina(2006),62 as of 2006, there were more that 10 fed-eral acts, over 100 presidential decrees, parliamentary resolutions, and ministerial acts, and dozens of international and intergovernmental agreements that together form the migration legislation of the Russian Federation.

The main laws regulating international migration into the territory of the Russian Federation include the Scheme of Exit from the Russian Federation and Entry into the Russian Federation (dated 15 August 1996, No. 114-FL, with amendments effective 18 July 1998, No. 110-FL), the Law on the Legal Status of Foreigners in the Russian Federation (dated 25 July 2002, No. 115-FL, with amendments effective 18 July 2006, No. 110-FL), the Law on Russian Federa-tion Citizenship (with amendments effective 11 November 2003, No. 151-FL), and the Law on Migration Registration of Foreigners and Stateless Persons in the Russian Federation (dated 18 July 2006, No. 109-FL). The migration policy of Russia is also reflected in decrees of the President such as: On Involvement and Application of Foreigners’ Labor Force in the Russian Federation (dated 16 December 1993, No. 2146) and On Measures for Assistance in Voluntary Re-settlement to the Russian Federation of Compatriots Residing Abroad (dated 22 June 2006, No. 637). Most issues of the migration policy are also addressed in regulative acts of the Russian Federation government.

Russia ratified the UN Convention on the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol in 1993. It is also a party to a number of international treaties and agree-ments in the sphere of migration management.

62 Voronina, Natalia (2006) “Outlook on Migration Policy Reform in Russia: Contemporary Challenges and Political Paradoxes”, in Roger Rodriguez Rios (ed.) Migration Perspectives – Eastern Europe and Central Asia, IOM Technical Cooperation Centre for Europe and Central Asia, Vienna.


International agreements on resistance to illegal migration

• Agreement on cooperation of members of CIS in the struggle against migra-tion (Moscow, 6 March 1998)

• Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Gov-ernment of the Republic of Uzbekistan on cooperation in the struggle against illegal migration (Tashkent, 4 July 2007)

• Protocol between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Gov-ernment of the Republic of Latvia on establishment of a working group on issues of illegal migration (Moscow, 28 June 2006).

International readmission agreements

• Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Gov-ernment of the Republic of Lithuania on admission and return of persons re-siding illegally in the territory of the Russian Federation and in the territory of the Republic of Lithuania ((Vilnius, 12 May 2003).

• Agreement between the Russian Federation and the European Association on readmission (Sochi, 25 May 2006)

• Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Kingdom of Norway on readmission (Moscow, 8 June 2007)

• Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Gov-ernment of the Republic of Uzbekistan on readmission (Tashkent, 4 July 2007)

• Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Cab-inet of Ministers of Ukraine on readmission (Kiev, 22 December 2006)

International agreements on citizenship problems:

• Agreement among the Republic of Belarus’, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, and the Russian Federation on simplified procedure of obtaining citizenship, effective 26 February 1999


• Agreement between the Republic of Kazakhstan on simplified procedure of obtaining citizenship by citizens of the Russian Federation arriving in the Republic of Kazakhstan for permanent residency and by citizens of the Re-public of Kazakhstan arriving for permanent residency in the Russian Fed-eration, effective 20 January 1995

• Agreement between the Russian Federation and the Kyrgyzstan Republic on simplified procedure of obtaining citizenship by the citizens of the Russian Federation arriving in the Kyrgyzstan Republic for permanent residency, and by the citizens of the Kyrgyzstan Republic arriving in the Russian Federa-tion for permanent residency, and on abatement of previous citizenships, ef-fective 28 March 1996

• Agreement between the Russian Federation and Turkmenistan on adjust-ment of dual citizenship, effective 23 December 1993

International agreements on international citizens’ reciproсal travels

• Agreement among the Government of the Russian Federation, Government of the Republic of Belarus, Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Government of the Kyrgyz Republic, and Government of the Republic of Tajikistan on citizens’ reciprocal free-of-visa- travel, effective 30 November 2000

• Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Azerbaijan Republic on citizens’ reciprocal free-of-visa travel, effective 3 July 1997

• Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Gov-ernment of Armenia on citizens’ reciprocal free-of-visa travel, effective 25 September 2000

• Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Gov-ernment of the Republic of China on citizens’ reciprocal free-of-visa travel, effective 29 February 2000

• Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Republic of Moldova on citizens’ reciprocal free-of-visa travel, effective 30 November 2000


• Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Gov-ernment of Ukraine on citizens’ reciprocal free-of-visa travel, effective 16 January 1997

International agreements on labour force migration

• Agreement on cooperation in labour force migration and social maintenance of migrant workers, effective 15 April 1994 (signed under CIS), ratified on 24 April 1995, No. 47-FL. The Protocol on insertion of amendments and ad-ditions to the Agreement was signed on 25 November 2005 and came into force on 15 December 2006

• Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Gov-ernment of the Republic of Armenia on labour activity and social mainte-nance of the Russian Federation citizens working in the territory of the Re-public of Armenia, and of citizens of the Republic of Armenia working in the territory of the Russian Federation, effective 19 July 1994

• Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Gov-ernment of the Republic of Belarus on labour activity and social mainte-nance of citizens of the Russian Federation working in the territory of the Republic of Belarus, and of citizens of the Republic of Belarus working in the territory of the Russian Federation, effective 24 September 1993

• Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Gov-ernment of the Federal Republic of Germany on employment of persons working for hire, targeted at improvement of their professional and language knowledge (The Agreement on Employment of Guest Workers of 17 May 1992)

• Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Gov-ernment of the Kyrgyztan on labour activity and social protection of working migrants, dated 28 March 1996 (came into effect on 15 January 1998, rati-fied on 14 November 1997, No. 139-FL, with amendments, Protocol of 22 September 2003, ratified on 3 January 2006, No. 3-FL)

• Agreement between the Russian Federation and the Government of the Peo-ple’s Republic of China on temporary labour activity of citizens of the Rus-sian Federation in China and the citizens of the People’s Republic of China in the Russian Federation, dated 3 November 2000


• Agreement between the Russian Federation and the Government of the Peo-ple’s Republic of China on cooperation in mutual development of forest re-sources, dated 3 November 2000.

• Agreement between the Russian Federation and the Government of the Re-public of Lithuania on temporary labour activity of citizens, dated 29 June 1999

• Agreement between the Russian Federation and the Government of the Re-public of Moldova on labour activity and social maintenance of citizens of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Moldova, working outside the boundaries of their states, dated 27 May 1993 (with amendments, Protocol No. 105, dated 12 February 1994)

• Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Gov-ernment of the Republic of Poland on principles of labour activity of the Russian citizens in the territory of Poland and Polish citizens in the territory of the Russian Federation, dated 15 March 1994

• Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Gov-ernment of the Slovak Republic on organization of citizens’ employment un-der contractual agreements and on employment assistance to citizens, dated 13 February 1995 (came into effect on 27 March 1995)

• Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Gov-ernment of Ukraine on labour activity and social maintenance of the citizens of Russia and Ukraine working outside the borders of their countries, dated 14 January 1993

• Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Gov-ernment of Switzerland Confederation on exchange of probationers, dated 2 September 1993

• Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Gov-ernment of the Republic of Tajikistan on labour activity of citizens of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Tajikistan and citizens of Tajikistan in the Russian Federation, dated 16 October 2004 (ratified on 3 January 2006, No. 2-FL)

• Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Gov-ernment of the Republic of Uzbekistan on labour activity and protection of


rights of labour migrants who are citizens of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Uzbekistan and the rights of labour migrants who are citizens of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the Russian Federation, signed on 3 July 2007

6.3. Migration policies in place

Voronina (2006)63 divides the post-Soviet period of the Russian migration policy into the following stages:

• 1992 – 1994 Formation• 1995 – 1999 Expanding spheres under regulation and development

of migration legislation• 1999 – 2002 Period considered by many as negative progress (the FMS was dissolved)• 2002 – 2004 Focus on combating irregular migration and restrictive policies• 2005 Reform of migration policy

In the early years after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the first priority of the Russian migration authorities was to address the consequences of the large “return” migration of Russians from the former Soviet Republics.

In May 1992, the Council of Ministries of the Russian Federation approved the first National Long-Term Migration Programme. The main goal of the Pro-gramme was to provide assistance to refugees and involuntary migrants (Rus-sians who came from the former Soviet Republics). The main components of the Programme included support for resettlement, housing, employment, and health care. The Programme was approved and its implementation started before the Russian Federation created its own migration legislation.64

Over the first half of the 1990s, various components of migration legisla-tion were created, including presidential decrees in 1993-94, namely, On Recruit-ment and Employment of Foreign Labour Force in the Russian Federation and its complementary decree in 1994. The first Federal Migration Programme, created likewise by a presidential decree in August 1994, was the first attempt to compre-hensively address the whole variety of migration issues.

63 Voronina, Natalia (2006) “Outlook on Migration Policy Reform in Russia: Contemporary Challenges and Political Paradoxes”, in Roger Rodriguez Rios (ed.) Migration Perspectives – Eastern Europe and Central Asia, IOM Technical Cooperation Centre for Europe and Central Asia, Vienna.

64 Voronina, Natalia (2006), Ibid.


The Federal Migration Service, first created in 1992, was in existence until its dissolution in 2000, to be restored again in 2002 under the MIA. According to Voronina (2006), this new administrative affiliation demonstrated the focus towards combating irregular migration.

In recent years, Russia’s migration policy has increasingly addressed the need for labour immigration to Russia, such as by searching for measures that would ease the geographical constraints and the skills shortages (see Section 6.4) and mismatch in the labour markets, facilitating the legalization of undocumented workers through smooth and non-bureaucratic procedures, attracting economic migrants, facilitating permanent immigration and resettlement, and assisting in the integration of immigrants.

The Action Plan for the Implementation of the Programme on Socio-eco-nomic Development of the Russian Federation for 2006-2008 included the devel-opment of a Concept for National Migration Policy, which was enacted by the State Duma in 2006 and has been implemented since 2007. This coincided with the entry into force of the new migration legislation in 15 January.

This new migration policy concerns three categories of migrants: tempo-rary labour migrants from the CIS countries, for whom access to labour markets and registration of their residence has been made easier; immigrants, for whom the procedures for obtaining permits for residence have been liberalized; and compatriots, for whom benefits are being provided while repatriating.

Taking into account public opinion on the negative attitude towards mi-grants, and especially demographic and labour market concerns, one key priority is the promotion of the return of compatriots. In 2007, the 12 pilot regions under the Federal Programme on rendering assistance to voluntary return to the Russian Federation of compatriots living abroad started to take part in the programme.

The regions of Eastern Russia that are suffering from labour force deficit are considered to be the regions of first priority. As of 1 December 2007, 4,800 Russians abroad (altogether 12,000 persons when family members included) were accepted to participate in the Federal Programme, however only about 400 per-sons did actually return. The Russian authorities expect these figures to rise.65

Lately, the improvement of migration policy is being realized in Russia, which is aimed at enhancing the responsibility of employers in resisting the irreg-ular employment of foreign workers, who, along with measures for simplifying

65 Initially, the plan was to resettle up to 50,000 people (Mukomel and Mkrtchyan 2008).


procedures of obtaining work permits and registration for working migrants, are urged to help reduce the quantities of irregular migration in the Russian Federa-tion. Measures are being simultaneously taken for improving practical methods of setting quotas for the intake of labourers in the industrial sector. In 2007, the Government of the Russian Federation approved a quota of 6,000 persons in the issuance of invitations to foreign citizens for entry into the Russian Federation for the purpose of labour activity from states with which Russia has established a visa-free regime. With other states that do not fall under Russia’s visa-free re-gime, the quota is set at 308,800 persons. The approved quotas are distributed among subjects of the Russian Federation.66

According to the law, Russian citizens should be given priority for local employment while a cap on the permitted share of employment exists for foreign citizens to work in certain fields. In 2006, the Government put limitations to a foreigners’ access to certain established trade fields.67

The Concept of Migration Processes Regulation in the Russian Federa-tion68 has set the following goals:

• provision of steady development of national economy and demographic pol-icy

• national security in the Russian Federation• meeting the demands of the Russian economy in human resources• rational distribution of population over the territory of the country • use of intellectual and labour potential of migrants for prosperity of the Rus-

sian Federation.

Meanwhile, the principle directions of activity for migration processes regulation as outlined in the Concept are:

• maintaining control over immigration processes in the Russian Federation• building up the conditions for integration of forced migrants in the Russian

Federation• recruitment of immigrants to work in the Russian Federation to provide the

national economy with labour resources• entering of the Russian Federation into the international labour market and

the process of regulation of economic migration

66 Mukomel and Mkrtchyan (2008).67 Resolution of the Russian Federation Government No. 683 dated 15 November 2006. 68 Approved by the Russian Federation Government Decree No. 256-r dated 1 March 2003.


• building up of conditions for voluntary return to their former residential places of Russian nationals, who left their places of permanent residence in the Russian Federation by force and are now living in other territories of the country

• keeping and developing relationships with compatriots abroad• optimization of internal migratory processes and promotion of effective us-

age of labour resources• creation of conditions for the maintenance and further formation of popula-

tions in the northern, eastern, and cross-border regions of the Russian Fed-eration

• rendering of assistance for the voluntary migration of compatriots from the CIS member countries and the Baltic countries.

6.4. Labour migration issues

Russia’s economic development has in recent years outperformed the other CIS countries (see Table 32) and increasingly made Russia a destination of intra-CIS labour migration flows.

Table 33. Differences in GDP and standards of living among the CIS countries

Cis country gDp per capita (usD)

percetage of population living on less than usD 2 per day

Armenia 1234.0 49

Azerbaijan 2585.9 9

Belarus 3316.2 2

Georgia 1765.8 16

Kazakhstan 4386.1 25

Kyrgyzstan 507.7 25

Moldova 917.4 64

Russian Federation 6330.8 8

Tajikistan 411.5 43

Turkmenistan 3888.6 44

Ukraine 2020.6 46

Uzbekistan 498.6 72

Sources: IMF. World Economic Outlook Database, April 2006; UN Population Reference Bureau, World Population Data Sheet, 2005, presented by Ivankniouk (2006)69

69 Ivakhnyuk, Irina (2006) “Migration in the CIS Region: Common Problems and Mutual Benefits”, An expert paper presented at the International Symposium on International Migration and Developmen, United Nations Population Division, 28-30 June 2006, Turin, Italy.


Thanks to the generally favourable economic development in Russia, the employment situation has steadily improved in the last years, as the succeed-ing tables on the economically active population and on unemployment show. The size of the economically active population has steadily risen as well as the demand for immigrant labour due to the declining population. Registered unem-ployment has clearly dropped in the last years—by 29 per cent, from over seven million in 2000 to less than five million in 2006 (see Table 36).

Although the tables below do not reflect any dramatic changes in the divi-sion of the labour force between the different sectors of economic activity, Russia seems to face the lack of professionals needed in the modern services-oriented economy.

With its growing dependence on an immigrant labour force, Russia is fac-ing the same situation as many other European countries: there is a generous supply of an unskilled undocumented immigrant labour force, most of which is quite ill-matched to the labour force demands. The domestic labour force also cannot satisfy the current needs for professionals of modern business, production, and related business and personnel administration, marketing and information technology (IT). In Russia, the situation is typical as in many countries: there is a shortage of engineers, IT specialists, industrial, technical and managerial staff, commercial and marketing professionals, and related administrative sup-port staff: This is illustrated in a list published by a Russian labour market news website (http://www.rhr.ru) that presents Russia’s most in-demand professionals at the beginning of 2007:

1. Human resources manager2. Marketing manager3. Director of production4. Personnel director5. Manager of production6. Internet project manager7. Client relations manager8. Senior secretary9. Bookkeeper10. Programmer

Since January 2007, the new legislation regulating access of foreign citi-zens to the Russian labour markets has become effective. The procedure for the issuance of labour permits to foreign citizens arriving in the Russian Federation has been considerably simplified. The notice procedure covers employers as well,


wherein they are given the right to hire foreigners even without a foreign labour engagement permit.

In 2007, the number of foreign citizens who are legally carrying out labour activity in the territory of the Russian Federation rose from 1,014,000 in 2006 to 2,150,000 as of January-September 2007. The number of foreign citizens regis-tered by migration70 authorities has been much higher—over six million people as of January-September 2007. This may be explained by the fact that even if a significant part of foreign citizens arrive in Russia primarily not for labour activity, many of them most probably end up being engaged in irregular labour activity.71

Together with measures for the liberalization of engagement and applica-tion of foreign labour, efforts aimed at strengthening the administrative responsi-bility for combating irregular engagement and use of foreign labour and working without a labour permit were executed. The administrative penalties for viola-tion of regulations of stay and residence of foreign citizens and stateless persons, and for regulation of engagement and use of foreign labour in the territory of the Russian Federation were significantly increased to up to 800,000 rubles or about 22,000 euros per worker. This resulted in a significant decrease in offences in the irregular engagement of foreign workers and hiring them without labour permits,72 from 67,108 in 2005 and 68,703 in 2006 to 9,632 in the first half of 2007.73

70 Mukomel, Vladimir and Nikita Mkrtchyan (2008): Expert memorandum drafted for this Country Profile, Moscow, January 2008.

71 Ibid.72 Articles 18.10 and 18.15 (before 2007, Parts 1 and 2 of Article 18.10) of the Code of the Russian Federation

on Administrative Offences. 73 Source: Information Analysis Center of the MIA of Russia.


Table 34. Economically active population*

1992 1995 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006** Thousand persons

Economically active population, total

75,060 70,740 72,332 71,411 72,421 72,835 72,909 73,811 74,187

of which:

employed 71,171 64,055 65,273 65,124 66,266 67,152 67,134 68,603 69,189

unemployed 3,889 6,684 7,059 6,288 6,155 5,683 5,775 5,208 4,999

Men 39,197 37,338 37,499 36,905 36,997 37,206 37,079 37,511 37,643

of which:

employed 37,161 33,726 33,754 33,527 33,709 34,199 34,177 34,710 35,012

unemployed 2,036 3,613 3,745 3,378 3,288 3,007 2,902 2,801 2,631

Women 35,863 33,401 34,833 34,506 35,423 35,629 35,831 36,300 36,544

of which:

employed 34,010 30,330 31,519 31,596 32,557 32,953 32,958 33,893 34,176

unemployed 1,853 3,072 3,314 2,910 2,866 2,676 2,873 2,407 2,368

As percentage of the total of economically active population

Economically active population, total

100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100

of which:

employed 94.8 90.5 90.2 91.2 91.5 92.2 92.1 92.9 93.3

unemployed 5.2 9.5 9.8 8.8 8.5 7.8 7.9 7.1 6.7

Men 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100

of which:

employed 94.8 90.3 89.8 90.8 91.1 91.9 92.2 92.5 93.0

unemployed 5.2 9.7 10.2 9.2 8.9 8.1 7.8 7.5 7.0

Women 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100

of which:

employed 94.8 90.8 90.5 91.5 91.9 92.5 92.0 93.4 93.5

unemployed 5.2 9.2 9.5 8.5 8.1 7.5 8.0 6.6 6.5Source: Goscomstat www.gks.ru* Data for 1992 and 1995 are as of the end of October; for 2000 to 2006, as of the end of November. **Data since 2006 include the Chechen Republic.


Table 35. Average annual employment by type of economic activities

in thousand persons as percentage to the total

2004 2005 2006 2004 2005 2006Total employment 66,407 66,792 67,017 100 100 100

by type of economic activities:

Agriculture, hunting and forestry 7,430 7,381 7106 11.2 11.1 10.6

Fishing, fish farms 113 138 133 0.2 0.2 0.2

Mining and quarrying 1,088 1,051 1036 1.6 1.6 1.5

Manufacturing 11,787 11,506 11,255 17.7 17.2 16.8

Electricity, gas and water supply 1,900 1,912 1,917 2.9 2.9 2.9

Construction 4,743 4,916 5,075 7.1 7.4 7.6

Wholesale trade and com-mission trade; repair of motor vehicles, motorcycles; personal and household goods

10,843 11,088 11,315 16.3 16.6 16.9

Hotels and restaurants 1,152 1,163 1,183 1.7 1.7 1.8

Transport and communication 5,293 5,369 5,423 8.0 8.0 8.1

of which communication ... 940 951 ... 1.4 1.4

Financial intermediation 835 858 928 1.3 1.3 1.4

Real estate, renting and busi-ness activities 4,825 4,879 4,936 7.3 7.3 7.4

Public administration and de-fence; compulsory social security 3,447 3,458 3,579 5.2 5.2 5.3

Education 6,125 6,039 6,014 9.2 9.0 9.0

Health and social work 4,488 4,548 4,603 6.8 6.8 6.9

Other community, social and personal service activities 2,330 2,460 2,492 3.5 3.7 3.7

Source: Goskomstat www.gks.ru


Table 36. Number of unemployed persons in the Russian Federation, 1992, 1995, and 2000-2006

1992 1995 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 According to the results of the Sample survey on employment*

Total number of unemployed, in thousand Persons

3,888.6 6,684.3 7,059.1 6,287.9 6,154.7 5,683.3 5,775.2 5,208.3 4,998.7

Out of them:

Students, pensioners

In thousand persons 717.5 520.3 686.5 726.9 633.1 645.6 777.3 610.5 517.1

In per cent 18.5 7.8 9.7 11.6 10.3 11.4 13.5 11.7 10.3

Women

In thousand Persons 1,852.9 3,071.7 3,314.2 2,910.2 2,866.3 2,675.9 2,873.2 2,406.9 2,367.8

In per cent 47.6 46.0 46.9 41.5 46.6 47.1 49.8 46.2 47.4

Rural residents

In thousand Persons 639.2 1,396.2 1,894.7 1,834.6 1,939.8 1,870.9 1,876.6 1,956.6 2,097.5

In per cent 16.4 20.9 26.8 29.2 31.5 32.9 32.5 37.6 42.0

In accordance with the data of the Federal Labour and Employment Service(end of year)

Number of unemployed registered by government employ-ment offices, ** in thousand Persons

577.7 2,327.0 1,037.0 1,122.7 1,499.7 1,638.9 1,920.3 1,830.1 1,742.0

Out of them:

Women

In thousand Persons 417.0 1,454.7 714.8 763.2 1,012.6 1,106.2 1,272.6 1,199.5 1,132.5

In per cent 72.2 62.5 68.9 68.0 67.5 67.5 66.3 65.5 65.0

Rural residents

In thousand Persons 101.7 671.7 325.3 388.1 603.0 732.8 890.8 891.2 890.0

In per cent 17.6 28.9 31.4 34.6 40.2 44.7 46.4 48.7 51.1

Ratio of number of unemployed regis-tered by government employment offices to total number of unemployed, in per cent

14.9 34.7 14.8 17.8 24.4 28.7 33.3 35.1 34.8

Source: Goskomstat www.gks.ru* Data for 1992 and 1995 are given as of the end of October; for 2000 to 2006, as of the end of November. **Data since 2006 include the Chechen Republic.


Table 37. Unemployment by age and educational attainment in 2006*(as of end of November; percentage of the total)

total Men WomenUnemployed – total 100 100 100

By age, in years:

Under 20 9.5 8.8 10.4

20 – 24 21.6 21.9 21.3

25 – 29 13.9 14.4 13.3

30 – 34 9.3 9.1 9.6

35 – 39 10.0 10.7 9.2

40 – 44 10.0 9.3 10.7

45 – 49 12.2 12.5 11.9

50 – 54 8.4 7.9 9.0

55 - 59 3.8 4.1 3.6

60 - 72 1.3 1.4 1.1

Mean age of unemployed, in years 34.1 34.2 34.1

Unemployed – total 100 100 100

including those with education:

higher professional 10.7 8.7 13.0

incomplete higher profes-sional 2.1 1.9 2.3

secondary professional 17.3 13.0 22.1

primary professional 17.6 20.0 14.9

secondary (complete) general 37.0 39.8 33.8

basic general 13.5 14.8 12.1

primary general, without primary general 1.8 1.9 1.8

Source : Goskomstat, see www.gks.ru* Data according to returns of the sample survey on employment, including data on Chechen Republic.

6.5. Policies to address irregular migration

The combat irregular migration through international cooperation is con-sidered to be one of the priority areas of the MIA.

During the last years, some policy documents on intergovernmental co-operation for combating irregular migration were elaborated. Such documents


include the Concept of Cooperation between the CIS member countries against illegal migration approved by the Resolution of the Council of Heads of CIS member countries on 16 September 2004 in the city of Astana, and the Pro-gramme of Cooperation for 2006-2008 between CIS member countries against illegal migration approved by the Council of Heads of CIS member countries on 26 August 2005 at the city of Kazan.

Close cooperation between foreign partners in the fight against irregular migration is as before being practiced by the internal security services of the Rus-sian Federation in the framework of the Agreement on Cooperation between the CIS member countries against illegal migration signed on 6 March 1998, and of succeeding documents adopted as the Agreement’s continuation.

Recent measures to facilitate the issuance of work permits especially for citizens of other CIS states, and the simplification of procedures to obtain foreign workers, have contributed to the strong increase of legally employed foreigners, while the estimated numbers of undocumented foreign workers have decreased. These measures to simplify the bureaucracy have been linked with tougher em-ployer sanctions. In 2007, more than 166,000 employers were found violating regulations in hiring foreign citizens and were sanctioned by fines or even by temporary suspension of their business up to 90 days.74

Cooperation with the other CIS states has been intensified. In January 2008,

the Council of Heads of Migration Services of the CIS Member States was cre-ated. The Council has an ambitious agenda to promote more favourable attitudes on migration in CIS countries by promoting and facilitating legal migration and cooperation against irregular migration. The director of the Russian FMS is the first Chairman of the Council.75

Furthermore, the Russian authorities have launched a new database in De-cember 2007 to improve migration information, and are continuing the devel-opment of the Government Information System on Migration Records.76 New passports have been developed with electronic components that allow better man-agement and control of migration flows. Further development work is underway to include biometric data into travel documents.

The Russian Federation has signed or ratified a number of international instruments related to irregular migration. As previously mentioned, in March

74 From FMS, reported in Mukomel and Mkrtchyan (2008).75 Idem. 76 IOM Moscow and FMS of the Russian Federation.


1998, the Agreement on cooperation between the CIS member-countries in their struggle against illegal migration (Federal Law of 12 July 2000, No. 97-FL) was ratified.

Also, on 12 December 2000, the Russian Federation signed the UN Con-vention Against Transnational Organized Crime, adopted on 15 November 2000, and the complementary Protocol against the smuggling of migrants by land, sea and air.

In Article 6 of this Protocol to the Convention, each member state shall take legal and other measures against three specified variants of smuggling or related facilitation of illegal entry or stay. At present, only one offence is men-tioned in the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation as corpus delicti in the “Organization of Illegal Migration” (Article 322.2).

6.6. Policies to address trafficking in human beings

In 2000, Russia signed the UN Convention against Transnational Organ-ized Crime and its supplementing Protocol on Trafficking in Persons, which was ratified in March 2004. During this period, Russia also legally defined trafficking in human beings within its criminal code and has initiated steps toward respond-ing to trafficking issues. Fora such as government interagency meetings and anti-trafficking conferences like the All-Russian Assemblies of Anti-Trafficking NGOs have fostered dialogue among decision makers and practitioners in the establishment of strategies to better combat trafficking in human beings.

In order to create a special legal basis for the prevention of human traf-ficking in the Russian Federation, an Inter-Agency Working Group (WG) was established under the auspices of the Legislative Committee of the State Duma in 2002.77 Members of Working Group (the State Duma deputies, representatives of various ministries and departments, and non-government organizations) initiated and developed the draft Federal Law on Prevention of Human Trafficking, which determines the legal and organizational regulations for the prevention of human trafficking in the Russian Federation and the means of coordination of activities of executive federal agencies, public institutions, and unions. The draft Law also determines the legal status and state guarantees for the victims of human traf-ficking. The provisions of the draft Law were discussed during the parliamentary hearings in February 2003 and March 2006. At present. the Working Group is

77 Mukomel, Vladimir and Nikita Mkrtchyan (2008): Expert memorandum drafted for this Country Profile, Moscow, January 2008.


carrying out the revision and upgrading of the existing draft Law based on the comments and amendments proposed by participating ministries, state depart-ments, and political parties.

In 2003, Federal Law No. 162-ФЗ on Introducing Changes and Additions to the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation was adopted in Russia. With the adoption of this Law, Russian law enforcement authorities received a legal basis for the criminalization and prosecution of trafficking-related offences. The Law envisages criminal liability for trafficking in persons (Article 127-1), use of slave labour (Article 127-2), involvement of minors in prostitution (Article 240, part 3), the organization of prostitution (Article 241), and the manufacture and distribution of materials or objects with pornographic depictions of minors (Article 242-1). The Law defines trafficking in persons as “the buying and selling of a person or other actions committed for the purpose of his exploitation in the form of recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring, or receipt”. The Law differentiates against the criminal liability for trafficking in persons. Depending on the gravity of the crime (committed with regard to two or more persons, with the use or threat of force, etc.), the punishment might be up to 15 years of impris-onment.

The Law defines slave labour as “the use of person’s labour with regard to whom power characterized by the right of ownership is exercised, in the event when a person, for reasons beyond his control, cannot refuse doing the work (providing services)”. The maximum punishment of imprisonment is up to 15 years.

The criminal liability for involvement of minors in prostitution was in-creased to up to eight years of imprisonment, and the criminal liability of organi-zation in the engagement of other persons in prostitution was broadened. Ag-gravating circumstances includes the use or threat of force, the use of authority of an official position, and the deliberate use of minors for engaging in prostitution, among others.

The Federal Law of 20 August 2004 No. 119-ФЗ on State Protection of Victims, Witnesses and Other Parties to Criminal Proceedings which entered into force on 1 January 2005 plays an important role in combating the criminal busi-ness of human trafficking. It enacts a set of state-guaranteed security measures for the protected persons. In accordance to the Law, claimants, witnesses, and victims shall be eligible for government protection.


The Law creates normative and legal bases for the protection of victims of human trafficking and members of their families through relocation to a dif-ferent permanent place of residence, issuance of new documents, change of ap-pearance, personal protection and protection of home and property, provision of special individual protection, communication and security alarm devices, protec-tion of confidential information on the protected person, transfer to a new job or educational institution, and temporary relocation to a secured shelter (Article 6, Chapter 2).

To enhance the coordination of anti-trafficking activities, a programme of cooperation of CIS member states in combating trafficking in persons for 2007-201078 was adopted on 28 November 2006 in Minsk in which.specialized units have been created within the Ministry of Interior79 and regional departments with the purpose of preventing, detecting, and investigating criminal cases in the sphere of irregular migration, trafficking in persons, and use of slave labour. The methods used in the investigation of trafficking-related crimes were worked out. The methods contain criminal qualification of trafficking in humans, investiga-tion procedures of trafficking-related cases, ways of cooperation, tactical charac-teristics of some initial investigative actions, and subsequent and final stages of investigation.

Russian authorities are increasing their efforts towards strengthening anti-trafficking response and improving corresponding legislation. In particular, the State Duma Committee for Civil, Criminal, Arbitral and Remedial Legislation is drafting three alternative bills for enriching the definition of trafficking in human beings..It is also proposed that a new article on Trafficking in Minors be added as well as increasing the length of imprisonment for trafficking in minors. The Committee intends to give the bills their first reading in early 2008.80

Furthermore, the leaders of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Interior Ministry are calling for better international cooperation and exchange of information, experiences and best practices on combating human trafficking, with emphasis on the key role of the UN in the prevention of human trafficking worldwide.81

78 http://cis.minsk.by/main.aspx?uid=804679 According to Article 151 (Investigative Jurisdiction) of the Criminal Procedural Code of the Russian Federa-

tion in the criminal cases for crimes, envisaged by Articles 127.1 and 127.2, a preliminary investigation shall be conducted by the investigators of the internal affairs bodies of the Russian Federation.

80 http://www.rosbalt.ru/2008/02/12/455755.html81 http://www.rian.ru/world/20080213/99134102.html, http://gzt.ru/world/2008/02/15/200652.html


Table 38. Statistics on crimes related to trafficking in people, 2004-200782

(The table below contains data on trafficking violations with reference to relevant laws or articles in the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation indicated below as CC RF.)

article CC rf number ofregistered crimes

number of persons called to account

2004

127-11 17 4

127-22 8 5

2403 276 100

2414 976 656

2005

127-1 60 24

127-2 20 10

240 390 100

241 1,030 741

2006

127-1 106 45

127-2 19 15

240 548 262

241 1,376 967

2007

127-1 104 55

127-2 35 22

240 575 273

241 1,570 1,049

1 Article 127.1 of the Criminal Code – Trafficking of Human Beings2 Article 127.2 of the Criminal Code – Use of Slave Labour3 Article 240 of the Criminal Code – Attraction to Prostitution 4 Article 241 of the Criminal Code – Organization of Prostitution

82 Statistics from the Main Center for Information and Analysis of the Interior Ministry of the Russian Federa-tion.


The law enforcement authorities of the Russian Federation actively coop-erate with law enforcement agencies in other countries, with Russian and inter-national NGOs, and with the UN and other international organizations, including the IOM (see main actors in Section 6.9).83

Examples of counter-trafficking projects

Many anti-trafficking projects in the Russian Federation are carried out by local NGOs. However such project-based activities have certain weakness. Typi-cally, the length of such projects is no more than one year. Furthermore, there is little coordination between the different projects, resulting in some overlap of activities as well as existence of serious gaps. Since anti-trafficking activities and support to victims of trafficking of the majority of NGOs are based on interna-tional donor support, the lack of stability, continuity, and sustainability will be a main concern until government agencies and public entities start supporting these projects with financial, information, and other types of assistance.

At the same time, in order to strengthen understanding, coordination, and collaboration in counter-trafficking , a UN and IOM working group was estab-lished in 2004, with UN agency membership including the ILO, UNFPA, UN-ODC, UNDP, UNICEF and the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office in the Russian Federation. Thus, to support efforts of both government and non-government structures to combat trafficking in human beings in the Russian Federation as a country of origin, transit, and destination, IOM spearheaded three anti-trafficking projects:

1. Prevention of human trafficking in the Russian Federation (funded by the European Commission and the United States and Swiss governments). The main components of the project are:

• Policy Advice: improving the legislative framework and the state poli-cies regarding human trafficking, including the national capacity to assess and measure this phenomenon in Russia

• Prevention: strengthening the capacity of the relevant law enforce-ment agencies to combat human trafficking; raising awareness among the risk groups, general public and relevant Russian authorities, NGOs and diplomatic missions of foreign states

83 E.V. Tiurukanova and the Institute for Urban Economics (2006) Human Trafficking in the Russian Federation, Inventory and Analysis of the Current Situation and Responses. Report conducted for the UN/IOM Working Group on Trafficking in Human Beings, Moscow, http://www.undp.ru/index.phtml?iso=RU&lid=1&cmd=publications1&id=54


• Reintegration: building the capacity of the national authorities and lo-cal NGO networks to protect and reintegrate victims of trafficking.

2. Combating Trafficking in Human Beings in the Russian Federation (funded by Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). The main components of the project are:

• Provision of equipment to Federal Counter-Trafficking Department/Unit/Focal-points

• Counter-trafficking educational programme• Networking visits to countries of origin• Law Enforcement Conference in Moscow/Saint Petersburg

2008/2009• Youth group capacity building and engagement.

3. Reintegration assistance to victims of trafficking from the Russian Fed-eration (funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation or SDC). The main components of the project are:

• establishment of a safe house facilitating long-term assistance and support to up to 20 victims of trafficking (women victims of sexual exploitation)

• launching of a project development contest for NGOs focusing on counter-trafficking services with as many as four NGOs receiving funding for the selected projects

• creation of a reintegration fund providing assistance to up to 75 former victims of trafficking.

6.7. Refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced persons, and relevant policies in place

Shortly after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Russian Federation, having joined the UN Convention on Refugees of 1951 and the Protocol of 1967, could not completely fulfill its obligations to the UN Convention due to finan-cial constraints. Refugee status was granted mainly to citizens of CIS and Baltic countries; applicants from foreign countries were granted refugee status only in exceptional cases. Russia adopted the Law on Refugees (of February 1993, No. 4528-1) and on Asylum Seekers (19 February 1993, No. 4530-1). 84

84 In 1995, the new version of the resolution “On asylum seekers” was adopted (by Federal Law of 20 December 1995, No. 202-FL). Following this, in 1997, the new version of the resolution “On refugees” (Federal Law of 28 June 1997, No. 95-FL), was adopted, putting the national legislation in better alignment with the UN Refugee Convention.


Since July 1992, more than 1,623,000 people have been granted refugee and asylum seeker status. On 1 January 2001, 445 people were provided with refugee status and 117,711 with asylum seeker status, out of whom 23,827 per-sons were considered internally displaced persons.85

The FMS of Russia projects that in 2008-2010, the number of applicants for refugee status and who will obtain this status will increase. This projection goes as well to the number of persons who will be given temporary asylum.

Russia has unfulfilled financial obligations to persons who have received the status of asylum seekers. Nevertheless, in 2007, 1,287 families of asylum seekers were provided with housing; in 2006, 306 families received this type of support. For 2008, the federal budget envisages to allocate RUR 1129.2 million (about USD 46 million) for the purchase of housing for asylum seekers.

In 2007, the government rendered support to citizens who suffered in the Ossetian-Chechen conflict—a total of 655 families and 68,661 persons who were returned to the places of their former residence in the territory of the Chechen Republic. A total of 309 families received reimbursement for the lost of their housing and/or property.

Table 39. Asylum applications in the Russian Federation, 2004-2007

2004 2005 2006 2007( June)

315 292 1,170 291

Source: UNHCR, 2007.

6.8. Other important migration actors in the country

International actors

Delegation of the European Commission to the Russian Federation19017, Moscow Kadashevskaya nab., 14/1 Tel.: (+7 495) 721 20 00 Fax (+7 495) 721 20 20 E-mail: [email protected]

85 These figures do not include data on persons forcibly moved to the Ingushetiani Republic from the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, as well as those who applied to the FMS for refugee and asylum seeker status, due to events in the Chechen Republic in 1994-1996 and 1999-2001.


International Organization for Migration in Moscow (IOM)2-ya Zvenigorodskaya St., 12Moscow, 123100Tel.: (495) 797-8722; (495) 253-1335Fax: (495) 253-3522http://www.iomrussia.ru; http://www.iom.int

International Labour Organization (ILO)107031 MoscowPetrovka 15, apt. 23Tel.: +7 (495) 933-0810Fax.: +7 (495) 933-0820E-mail: [email protected]

United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC)Regional Office for Russia and Belarus 28 Ostozhenka, Moscow, Russia, 119034Tel.: +7(495) 787 2121Fax.: +7(495) 787 2129E-mail: [email protected]

United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the Russian Federation

6 pereulok Obukha Moscow 105064 Tel.: (+7 495) 956 6405Fax: (+7 495) 956 6355E-mail: [email protected]://www.ocha.ru

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR)

119034 Moscow 28 Ostozhenka St., Tel.: +7(495) 787 21 00 Fax +7(495) 787 2101 http://www.unrussia.ru

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

MoscowOstozhenka St. 28, 119034Tel.: 7(495) 787 21 00Fax: 7(495) 787 21 01E-mail: [email protected]


St. PetersburgFontanka St. 21, 191011Tel.: (812) 570 59 19Fax: (812) 570 55 47E-mail: [email protected]

VladikavkazTel.: (8672) 45 14 26Fax: (8672) 54 60 97

Petropavlovsk-KamchatskyKarl Marx Av. 29/1, Room 207Tel: (41522) 91 9 70Fax: (41522) 90 827

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)4/17 Pokrovsky Blvd., Building 1, Office 19/20101000 Moscow, Russian FederationTel.: +7 495 933 8818Fax: +7 495 933 8819E-mail: [email protected]://www.unicef.org/russia/ru/

Collective Security Treaty Organization103012, Moscow, Varvarka St, 7,Tel.: +7(495) 625-7620, (495) 606-9771E-mail: [email protected]

National Actors

NGOs working against trafficking in human beings

A very large number of NGOs are working in counter-trafficking in the Russian Federation. The following list, compiled by the IOM Office in Moscow, shows some of NGOs that are active in different parts of the Russian Federation

Yekaterinburg, Sverdlovskaya oblast – “Ekaterina”Contact person: Ermakova Lyudmila MikhaylovnaTel.: 8 (343) 220 30 28 E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]


Astrakhan - “Oratorium” Contact person: Perepyolkin Eduard Tel.: 8 (906) 457 09 34 E-mail: [email protected]

Petrozavodsk, Karelia- Karelskiy Centre for Gender StudiesContact person: Boychenko Larisa Dmitrievna Tel.: 8 (8142) 773 919

Moscow- “Coalition Angel”Contact person: Kuzbit Oleg RomanovichTel.: (495) 915 43 74, 783 5865E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]://www.angelcoalition.org

Moscow- “Sisters” Contact person: Mokhova Mariya Lyvovna Tel.: 7 (095) 901 02 01E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]

Moscow- “Kesher”Director: Svetlana YakimenkoTel.: 8 (095) 254 99 58, 8 (916) 128 25 58E-mail: [email protected], [email protected],www.projectkesher.org

Khabarovsk, Far East – WinrockDirector: Shchetinina Olga PetrovnaTel.: (4212) 30 63 73, 31-08-18, 30-85-67E- mail: [email protected]

Vladivostok, Far East – “Far Eastern Crisis Centre”Director: Bazhenova Svetlana KupriyanovnaTel.: (4232) 43 20 33, (4232) 903312E-mail: [email protected]

AksinyaContact person: Irina Mardar Tel.: 8-926-4538351


Kazan- “Fatima” Contact person : Galitskaya MarinaTel.: (843) 2536085, (843)2464401E-mail : [email protected]

Novosibirsk- “Siberian Women’s League”Contact person: Head of the Council Yurtayeva LarisaTel.: (383) 208 09 91E-mail: [email protected]

Chelyabinsk- “Women’s Commonwealth” Contact person: Vasilyeva Larisa SemyonovnaTel.: (3512) 62 00 96E-mail: [email protected]

Irkutsk- “Angara”Contact person: Uralova Svetlana ValentinovnaTel.: (3952) 38 79 02, 39 78 35, (3952) 46-55-09 E-mail: [email protected]

Saratov- “Women’s Crisis Centre” Contact person: Pylayeva Oksana YuryevnTel.: (8452) 27 91 70E-mail: [email protected]

Murmansk- “Crisis Centre- Priyut”Contact person: Shtylyova Lyubov VasilyevnaTel.: (8152) 22 71 36, 22 68 75E-mail: [email protected]

Nizhniy Novgorod- “Russian Children’s Fund”Contact person: Dernova Nina IvanovnaTel.: (8312) 33 14 80E-mail: [email protected]

Yaroslavl- “Center for Sexual Culture Formation”Contact person: Shelkova Valentina Anamovna Tel.: (4852) 55 66 91; Fax: 55 50 64, 53 13 21Mobile: 33 13 46; Hotline: (8910) 973 13 46E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]


Krasnoyarsk- “Verba” Contact person : Palchik Natalya BorisovnaTel. : (3912) 34 25 38E-mail : [email protected]


7. annex: soMe aDDitional Migration statistiCs

Annex Table 1. Foreign citizens and stateless persons who obtained temporary asylum and were registered with the Federal Migration Service of Russia, 2001-2007

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Families Persons Families Persons Families Persons Families Persons Families Persons

Total 725 1,232 723 1,228 599 1,061 584 1,020 700 1,174

Including near-abroad countries

9 14 7 12 8 13 13 26 44 75

Far-abroad countries

716 1218 716 1,216 591 1,048 571 994 656 1,099

Source: Federal Migration Service (http://www.fms-rf.ru/about/ofstat/vu_stat/vu_reg_count.php)

Annex Table 2. Conferment of Russian citizenship, 2005-2006

2005 2006Acquired the Russian citizenship 493,948 365,255

Including:

In a simplified procedure 376,948 283,004

In a common procedure 614 152

According to the international treaties 116,376 82,099

Out of those who acquired the citizenship:

Adults 316,517 273,960

Children under 18 96,298 90,145

Students 15,774 11,798



Annex Table 3. Principal indicators of temporary labour migration to Russia, 2005-2007

2005 2006 2007 (January to october)

Employers with permits to engage for-eign labour 35,886 45,205 27,830

Foreign labour permits issued, total 44,323 56,379 21,200

Foreign workers employed during the reporting period 702,500 1,014,013 2,024,069

Including from the CIS countries 343,665 537,722 1,663,404

Foreign labour permits issued to foreign citizens, total 430,147 583,609 1,871,752

Including from the CIS countries 238,115 317,398 1,611,805

Organizations licensed to employ the Russian citizens to work abroad as of the end of the reporting period

558 616 600

Source: Federal Migration Service, http://www.fms.gov.ru/about/ofstat/stat_1_rd/index.php

Annex Table 4. Number of engaged foreign labour and average monthly salary in 2006 by regions of the Russian Federation*

subjects of the russianfederation

number of employed foreign workers

average monthly nominal salary accounted in 2006,

roubles.the Russian Federation – total 1,014,013 10,727.7

Central Federal District

the Belgorod Region 4,284 8,428.1

the Bryansk region 974 6,385.7

the Vladimir region 4,358 7,515.5

the Voronezh Region 3,539 6,666.7

the Ivanovo Region 1,439 6,545.2

the Kaluga Region 4,991 8,483.8

the Kostroma region 1,481 7,492.4

the Kursk region 1,256 7,150.6

the Lipetsk Region 1,833 8,617.1

the Moscow region 85,067 11,752.4

the Orel region 853 6,786.6

the Ryazan Region 5,430 7,763.1

the Smolensk Region 911 7,827.6

the Tambov region 1,188 6,267.5

the Tver region 3,670 8,115.1

the Tula region 4,115 7,723.3

the Yaroslavl region 3,378 9,012.8

City of Moscow 355,384 18,698.6


North-western Federal District

the Republic of Karelia 2,187 10,706.7

the Komi Republic 2,961 14,247.3

the Arkhangelsk Region 2,426 11,901.2

the Vologda Region 4,226 10,777.6

the Kaliningrad Region 8,492 9,373.5

the Murmansk Region 1,453 10,612.1

the Novgorod Region 1,536 14,983.9

the Pskov Region 1,458 8,843.8

St. Petersburg 34,811 6,974

The Leningrad region 12,983 12,978.9

Southern Federal District

Republic of Adygeya 190 6,350.7

Republic of Dagestan 1,684 4,884.4

Republic of Ingushetia 103 6,720.2

Kabardino-Balkarian Republic 103 5,862

Republic of Kalmykia 628 5,626.6

Karachai-Circassian Republic 94 6,051.8

Republic of North Ossetia-Alania 630 5,893.8

Chechen Republic 2 8,078

Krasnodar Territory 22,455 8,065.2

Stavropol Territory 3,364 6,844.1

the Astrakhan region 3,943 8,193

the Volgograd region 7,673 7,679.4

the Rostov region 3,642 7,485.3

Privolzhsky Federal District

Republic of Bashkortostan 13,475 8,474.8

Republic of Marij El 103 6,526.1

Republic of Mordovia 899 6,362

Republic of Tatarstan 14,784 8,839.1

Udmurtian Republic 2,817 7,881.6

Chuvash Republic 316 6,407.2

the Kirov Region 707 9,584.7

the Nizhni Novgorod Region 11,919 7,187.7

the Orenburg Region 4,693 8,147.9

the Penza Region 1,157 7,752.8

the Perm Region 9,106 6,492.3

the Samara Region 7,883 9,630.5

The Saratov region 951 7,170.8


The Ulyanovsk region 2,213 6,733.9

Uralian Federal District

the Kurgan Region 737 7,267.7

the Sverdlovsk Region 52,845 10,942.5

the Tyumen Region 9,634 2,3854

the Chelyabinsk Region 15,707 26,936.8

the Khanty-Mansijsk Autonomous District 29,348 32,929.6

the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District 26,443 9,364.9

Siberian Federal District

Republic of Altai 765 7527

Republic of Buryatia 3,525 9,333.6

Republic of Tuva 408 8,956.8

Republic of Khakassia 332 9,511.5

Altai Territory 5,861 6,149

Krasnoyarsk Territory 22,805 12,454

the Irkutsk region 12,901 11,069.1

the Kemerovo region 5,027 10,328.4

the Novosibirsk region 12,786 9,120.5

the Omsk region 5,649 8,980.7

the Tomsk region 1,667 11,495.1

the Chita region 20,569 10,039.4

Far East Federal District

the Republic of Sakha Yakutia 14,861 16,154.6

The Primorskiy Territory 37,900 10,887.3

Khabarovsk Territory 13,643 12,512.6

the Amur region 18,454 11,069

the Kamchatka Region 549 19,692.4

the Magadan region 1786 18,516

the Sakhalin Region 16,816 19,001.7

the Jewish Autonomous Region 6,326 9,829.1

the Chukotka Autonomous District 4,451 25,113.8

Source: Federal Migration Service; Social and Economic Situation in Russia, January 2007, Rosstat, 2007* Data by autonomous areas, except for the Khanty-Mansi and Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Areas, are included in relevant areas.


Annex Table 5. Immigrants at age 14 and older, by citizenship

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006All migrants 158,505 111,883 104,550 155,056 163,687

Russian citizens 142,731 94,425 93,293 142,108 149,212

Foreign citizens 13,225 14,738 9,063 10,303 9,931

Stateless persons 2,549 2,720 2,194 2,645 1,728

Not indicated 2,816

Source: Population and Migration in the Russian Federation. Moscow, the Rosstat, 2004-2006

Annex Table 6. Remittances from and to Russia sent through money transfer systems and the Postal Service of Russia, 2003-2007, in million dollars

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 (January-september)

Remittances from Russia 1,310 2,070 3,549 6,005 6,317

Including.: non-CIS counties … … 323 622 584

CIS countries … … 3,226 5,382 5,733

Remittances to Russia 588 777 1,041 1,304 1,193

Including: non-CIS counties … … 645 746 592

CIS countries … … 396 559 600

The opinions expressed in the report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout the report do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IOM concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning its frontiers or boundaries.

IOM is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. As an intergovernmental organization, IOM acts with its partners in the international community to: assist in meeting the operational challenges of migration; advance understanding of migration issues; encourage social and economic development through migration; and uphold the human dignity and well-being of migrants.

Prepared by: Alin Chindea Magdalena Majkowska-Tomkin Heikki Mattila Isabel Pastor Edited by: Sheila Siar

Publisher: International Organization for Migration 17 route des Morillons 1211 Geneva 19 Switzerland Tel: +41.22.717 91 11 Fax: +41.22.798 61 50 E-mail: [email protected] Internet: http://www.iom.int

_____________________________________________________

ISBN 978-92-9068-483-1ISBN 978-92-9068-517-3 (Migration in the Black Sea Region: Regional Overview,Country Profiles and Policy Recommendations)

© 2008 International Organization for Migration (IOM)_____________________________________________________

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher.

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