Russia considers a ban on migrants bringing families

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Labor migrants may be banned from bringing their family members to Russia. A draft law on this was submitted to the State Duma on September 9 by deputies of the "Fair Russia – For Truth" faction led by Sergei Mironov.

The authors of the initiative propose exceptions for citizens of Belarus and highly qualified foreign specialists. The document was published in the Duma's legislative database.

According to the deputies, the presence of migrant families creates a heavy burden on the country’s social infrastructure, including schools and the healthcare system.

“At the same time, the budget revenues from migrant patents do not cover the costs of supporting non-working family members, which makes this model of migration policy economically ineffective,” the explanatory note to the document states.

The authors argue that if the ban is adopted, excluding the families of low-skilled migrants could reduce the migration flow by 15–20 percent.

Lawmakers believe such a measure would make migration policy more effective while also increasing federal budget revenues.

It is worth noting that earlier, another bill was introduced in the State Duma seeking to restrict the entry of minor migrants into the country. That proposal would prohibit children from entering Russia without their parents or legal guardians, or without adults accompanying them with a notarized power of attorney from their family. According to the authors, some teenagers enter Russia under the pretext of studying or receiving medical treatment but instead seek employment. However, the government has stated that this initiative will not solve the “problem of child neglect.”