As of the end of September, there were 10.4 million foreigners in Russia. They are mainly engaged in temporary seasonal work. RANEPA believes that by the end of the year, some of them will leave Russia.
The majority of labor migrants – 8.8 million people – come from CIS countries, primarily Ukraine, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. The inflow of temporary workers from countries belonging to the Eurasian Economic Union, whose citizens do not need to obtain permits for employment in Russia or pay for patents, has also increased. The number of arrivals from Kyrgyzstan has grown particularly strongly.
The inflow of labor migrants from Europe and the United States to Russia has almost dried up. Compared to 2014, the number of Westerners staying in Russia has decreased by 80%.
RANEPA also noted an increase in illegal migration. On average, about 4 million people enter Russia per year who indicate employment as their purpose of arrival in migration documents. About 1.3 million of them remain completely illegalized, experts believe.
At the same time, the number of illegal migrants could be much higher, since many who come to work in Russia do not indicate in their documents that they have come to work. Even those immigrants who have the right to work in Russia, for example, those from the EAEU, most often do not formalize their relations with employers officially.
Experts listed several reasons for the growth of illegal migration and shadow employment. Formalizing official labor contracts and making corresponding monthly contributions can be too expensive for businesses. Many immigrants have an entry ban, and sometimes obtaining work permits proves too difficult due to bureaucratic obstacles.