The Russian Federal Migration Service (FMS) expects foreign migrants to start passing obligatory exams on Russian language in 2012, FMS Director Constantine Romodanovsky said today, Interfax reports.
Most labour migrants come from CIS states that have a visa-free regime with Russia. Exams for migrants were proposed in October. Russia currently has about 9 million foreign citizens, about 29% of them do not speak Russian. The first tests were proposed for migrants involved in housing and utilities services.
Parliamentary Speaker Boris Gryzlov spoke for the introduction of such exams.
A group of MPs of the United Russia Party introduced a bill on obligatory exams for labour migrants. Amendments were proposed for the law on legal state of foreigners in Russia. Most migrants coming to Russia are young people.
High migration flows cause social tensions and inter-ethnic threats. This is especially common in housing and utilities services, trade and household services. Many states introduced obligatory language exams, such as the US, Germany, Austria. Such form is not discrimination, the clarification note of the bill says.
