MOSCOW (Realist English). Russia’s State Duma is preparing a package of legislative initiatives aimed at tightening and recalibrating the country’s migration policy, with a particular focus on health controls and enforcement mechanisms, according to Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of the lower house of parliament.
Volodin said the proposed measures include cutting the mandatory medical screening period for foreign nationals staying in Russia for more than three months from 90 days to 30 days. Under the draft legislation, medical institutions would also be required to transmit information on issued medical certificates to the Interior Ministry, while data on detected infectious diseases would be forwarded to the federal consumer and public health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor. The aim, lawmakers say, is to enable faster decisions on deportation when health risks are identified.
The initiatives also предусматривают the introduction of administrative liability for migrants who evade mandatory medical examinations. Proposed penalties include fines, with the possibility of deportation by court order in cases of non-compliance.
In addition, a separate set of amendments would tighten criminal liability for the forgery and circulation of official documents falsely confirming the absence of diseases that pose a danger to public health.
“The proposed measures are aimed at strengthening oversight of migrants and enhancing public safety in our country,” Volodin said.
The legislative push reflects a broader shift toward stricter migration regulation in Russia, moving from formal registration procedures to more preventive and enforcement-oriented controls. Shorter screening deadlines and automated data exchange between medical institutions, law enforcement and sanitary authorities could significantly alter the conditions of stay for migrants in the near term.
