Moscow’s migrant workers are now required to get the new IDs as announced by Moscow authorities. The new IDs will also serve as a work permit according to officials. The new IDs are magnetic plastic cards that will also contain certain information such as passport details and medical information. Thus, this important ID will be the migrant’s primary document while in the capital of Russia.
It was the head of the labour exchange of the Moscow Committee on Interregional Ties and Ethnic Policy, Yevgeny Chernetsov, who announced the implementation of these new IDs. However, in 2007, it was first announced by the Mayor of Moscow, Yury Luzhkov. Being able to save passport and medical information means the plastic ID will have a special microchip that contains such data. The foreign worker or migrant’s information will be stored there for three months upon arrival in Moscow. When the migrant receives an employment offer during that period, then the card’s validation will be extended for up to a year. This means that the card can be issued even if the migrant does not have an offer of employment yet.
The ID card may be requested at any of the 126 territorial branches of the Russian Migration Service according the Yevgeny Chernetsov. Those who are already living and working in the area can get their card from those centres. At the same time, upon application for the card, the migrant will be required to pay a deposit of $500. This bill is currently being reviewed by the Russian government. The ID card is in lieu of addressing the illegal immigration problem in the country.