FMS begins processing patents for labor migrants
As the FMS press service told Vremya Novostei, from yesterday, in fact, the acceptance of documents for processing labor patents was supposed to begin. The first such alternative work permits should be issued ten days after applications are submitted. The FMS expects that the popularity of the new mechanism for accounting for labor migrants will allow issuing about 3 million patents by the end of the year and thus legalize most of the private sector workers already in Russia.
Recall that it is this new mechanism that allows Russians – individuals – to hire a labor migrant bypassing the existing quota system for guest workers used by businesses. As Zalina Kornilova, press secretary of the FMS office for Moscow, told Vremya Novostei, to obtain a patent, a foreign worker must contact the district branch of the FMS office at the work permit issuance office. 'This mechanism has been refined by us a long time ago,' Ms. Kornilova said, clarifying that patent applicants will be served in the general queue. The FMS press service reminded that the presence of the employer is also required for document processing.
The monthly cost of a patent is 1,000 rubles. Citizens of CIS countries with visa-free entry into Russia can purchase such a work permit for a period of 1 to 3 months, which can be repeatedly extended within one year. Notably, to extend the patent it is not necessary to come to the FMS – it is enough to pay for the next period via bank transfer. At the same time, private individuals who hire guest workers without such a patent will be held administratively liable – they may be fined 2,000–5,000 rubles.
According to FMS estimates, a total of up to 4 million labor migrants are currently employed in the country's private sector. But it is too early to judge the pace of patent processing. 'On the first day of the law's operation, it is difficult to expect a large influx,' noted Zalina Kornilova. According to the press secretary of the Moscow FMS office, so far the department is only 'actively disseminating information' about the new service.
However, the migration policy declared by the capital's mayor Yuri Luzhkov could make the labor patent especially popular in Moscow. Recall that recently the mayor again stated the need to reduce the city's quota for labor migrants to 100,000 people per year (currently the city limit for attracting foreign labor is 250,000 people). That is exactly how many additional foreign workers, according to calculations by city officials who also actively use guest worker labor, are demanded by the market. The excessive number of newcomers, according to Luzhkov, 'creates crime in the capital.'
Having a patent will allow migrants to work in the capital virtually without hindrance, and counting the work permits issued by the Moscow FMS office will make it possible to assess how justified the mayor's calculations are.