Russia's new migration rules

The Russian government has adopted a new regulation concerning migrants into the country. According to PM Putin, foreigners are restricted to working at the market places, pharmacy shops or similar organizations as sales persons.

As head of the migration service of Armenia, Gagik Eganyan stated that the new regulations will not concern the people of Armenian ethnicity. He thinks that most of the ethnic Armenian people in Russia work in the construction business. There are very few involved in trade, however, in this sector there is a large contingent from the Azeri population. The new regulation signed by PM Putin gives priority to the local population whereby Russian federation citizens will have better opportunities than their ethnic migrant colleagues. The new regulation also decreases the official quota of foreigners permitted to come and work in Russia. Since regaining its independence in 1992, more than one million people migrated from Armenia, 65% of whom settled in Russia.