Police Raids in st. Petersburg Lead to Detention of Nearly 100 Foreign Workers, Spark Debate Over Labor Policy
St. Petersburg, Russia – Nearly 100 foreign nationals were detained in St. Petersburg following recent police inspections of construction sites in the Krasnoselsky and Petrodvorets districts, according to a September 29th statement from the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for St. petersburg and the Leningrad Region.
The preventative raids focused on verifying the legality of workers’ residence and employment status in Russia. Authorities found that 48 of those detained were employed illegally at construction sites despite being formally registered with other organizations, prompting the Migration Service to consider revoking their work permits. An additional 24 individuals were found to be in violation of registration requirements and face administrative penalties, while five others are possibly facing deportation. Approximately 300 migrants were identified during the inspections.
These detentions occur amidst growing discussion within Russia regarding its migrant labor policies. President Vladimir Putin recently indicated a potential re-evaluation of the current labor patent system, which governs the employment of foreign workers from specific visa-free countries. This suggestion followed comments from Economic Development Minister Maksim Reshetnikov, who stated Russia aims to lessen its dependence on migrant labor despite existing workforce shortages.
Earlier this year, on March 20th, President Putin signed a decree allowing foreign citizens to work in Russia without a permit, contingent upon meeting specific requirements including mandatory fingerprinting, drug testing, and screening for infectious diseases.
The Ministry of Labor is also considering further reforms,including restricting visa-free entry for certain nationalities and revising the existing patent system. One proposed change would mandate employers reimburse migrant workers for expenses like medical checks and training costs upon dismissal.The current labor patent system is intended to both regulate the influx of migrant labor and safeguard the rights of foreign employees working within Russia.
