Immediately after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia accepted 3.7 million people, mainly from the CIS countries (except Belarus) and the Baltic states. According to the World Bank, in 1992 two-thirds of migrants coming to Russia were Russian-speaking refugees from the CIS. Gradually the situation stabilized, and by the turn of the century the influx of immigrants to Russia, in which ethnic Russians were already a minority, began to be explained by economic reasons - for example, GDP per capita in different CIS countries, the availability of jobs, and higher wages and living standards in Russia compared to other CIS countries.
The World Bank estimates the number of illegal migrants in Russia at 3-3.5 million people, although the report notes that it is quite difficult to determine their exact number. For example, according to official Russian statistics, in 2002 there were about 17,000 migrants from Tajikistan in Russia. Meanwhile, the World Bank believes that in that year the real number of illegal and semi-legal Tajik workers in Russia reached up to 600,000.
World Bank experts believe that attracting migrants to the country represents a real opportunity to postpone the demographic crisis in Russia. The report presents several scenarios for the development of migration processes in Russia. The average scenario (not the most optimistic, but not the most tragic) states that between 2000 and 2050, Russia can count on attracting 5.4 million migrants. However, to solve the problem of simple population reproduction at the 1995 level, Russia would need to attract 24.9 million people over the same period. And to maintain the working-age population at the same 1995 level, it would have to ensure an influx of 35.8 million migrants. 'For comparison, in the 1990s, when Russia was hit by an unprecedented flow of migrants, which most likely will not be repeated in the future, only 3.3 million people came to the country,' the bank's experts note.
So far, Russian authorities cannot count on migration as a factor that could significantly contribute to population growth - since 1990, due to newcomers, it has increased by no more than 4%. However, according to the World Bank, Russian authorities intend to take measures to make the influx of migrants regular. The complexity of the task also lies in the fact that the need for migrants in Russia exceeds the level that the population would perceive as politically and socially acceptable. 'Even a relatively low inflow of migration in Russia will require political and social balancing from the authorities. To accept the demographic reality, an appropriate policy line needs to be developed,' the report says.
Russia will not be the only country that will soon realize that the demand for labor can be met through the influx of migrants from abroad. It will face dangerous competition from Europe, where the problem of an aging population is already very acute. European countries and even some former Soviet republics with higher living standards may be more attractive to migrants than Russia, and therefore it will be easier for them to meet their needs with workers from Eastern Europe and Central Asia. 'Less developed countries will have to attract migrants from Africa and Asia. Whether these migrant flows will be legal depends on the quality of the legislation adopted,' the report says.
Russia Approves Resettlement Allowance Amounts
The Russian government has approved the rules for paying a one-time allowance to compatriots voluntarily resettling in Russia.
According to the government press service, compatriots relocating to Category 'A' territories (strategically important border areas for Russia) will receive a one-time allowance of 60,000 rubles, and their family members - 20,000 rubles each, while those moving to Category 'B' territories (regions where labor is needed and large investment projects will be implemented) will receive 40,000 and 15,000 rubles respectively.
According to Interfax, the resolution comes into force on the day of its official publication and applies to legal relations arising from January 1, 2007. To receive the allowance, a participant in the state program to assist the voluntary resettlement of compatriots to Russia submits an application for payment to the territorial body of the Federal Migration Service at the place of registration, and the date of filing the application is considered the day of presenting the documents necessary to resolve the issue of granting the allowance. The decision to pay the allowance is made by the territorial migration service body within 15 days from the date of filing the application. The government has established that such a monthly allowance will be provided to compatriots who have resettled in Russia before acquiring Russian citizenship, but for no more than six months.