Russian officials propose fining migrant workers with poor language skills

TASHKENT -- In their latest attempt at stigmatising migrants who go to Russia in search of better job opportunities, high-ranking Russian officials have proposed fining those who do not speak fluent Russian.

Valentina Kazakova, director of the main directorate for migration affairs at the Russian Interior Ministry (MVD), said March 23 that the government must collect fines from foreign migrant workers with a low Russian "language rating".

The announcement was made during a roundtable discussion at the Russian State Duma.

The government, if it enacts the rating system, wants to give migrant workers "an adjustment period -- for example, one to three months after the migrant worker receives his [or her] ID card", for overcoming any linguistic deficiencies, Kazakova said.

The department proposes a point system calculated on the basis of an algorithm for assessing someone's mastery of Russian, she said.

As a result, all migrants will be grouped into several categories reflecting their proficiency in Russian.

Foreign migrant workers can be fined if they earn a low rating. On the flip side, workers who earn high ratings are promised tax benefits.

Tax reductions range from 10% for elementary proficiency, 15% for intermediate proficiency and 20% for advanced proficiency. Migrants who are native Russian speakers can get a 50% tax cut.

Anti-immigrant policy

This proposal is the latest twist in public anti-immigrant xenophobia, said Uzbek-born human rights activist Valentina Chupik.

Its goal is to divert public attention away from real problems and cultivate hatred toward "dumb, uneducated non-Russians", she said, "an incoming swarm who rob Russians of jobs, so we need them to make tribute payments".

Chupik recalled Putin's attempt in 2013 to boost his popularity. That year, even without any wars going on, Putin created migration detention camps in Moscow and his popularity fell anyway, she said.

"Now we're seeing his popularity fall again," Chupik said.

As things stand, to receive a work permit, migrants must pass a test that covers Russian language and history and the foundations of Russian law.

Abdurasul Mirzakarimov, 35, a migrant worker from Andijan province, Uzbekistan, first arrived in Russia at the age of 16 without speaking a word of Russian.

He has worked in a bakery, on construction sites and in warehouses, and is now a taxi driver in Moscow.

The proposal by Russian authorities to fine migrant workers is doomed to fail because the existing Russian testing system is corrupt, said Mirzakarimov.

"I learned Russian only after I got here," he said. "Generally, the majority of migrants come here without any knowledge of Russian, and that applies not just to Uzbek citizens but also to migrants from other CIS countries."

"I took the Russian test to get a work permit, but many people just shell out money in exchange for good scores," Mirzakarimov said, adding that such bribes cost between $50 and $100.

No incentive to learn Russian

Botirjon Shermukhammedov, a lawyer and editor of the website Migrant.uz, noted a recent push for migrants to have knowledge of Russian and the ability to communicate fluently in it.

"The majority of Uzbek citizens have problems with Russian," he said, adding that "many of them do not study the language".

"But other than express a desire, the host state has done nothing to help. There are no free training courses, neither in person nor online," he said.

In Russia, there is not a single initiative to teach migrants Russian even though that would seem to be in the country's interest, he said. Instead, the government is floating the idea of fining migrants who are not proficient in Russian.

The market itself determines what kind of worker and what level of Russian proficiency an employer needs, he said.

If an employer feels they do not need a specific person because their Russian is poor, they simply do not hire them, Shermukhammedov said. The migrant then has an incentive to learn the language.

Requiring the same level of Russian proficiency from a construction worker as from a salesperson or cashier in a store is not right, he added.

"Before imposing a fine, you need to create the conditions and incentives to study Russian," he said.

In Moscow and other large cities, there are certain districts where migrants do not need to speak Russian at all -- Uzbek and Tajik language skills are sufficient, Shermukhammedov said.

"The easiest way to get migrants to adjust and integrate into Russian society is through training and education, not fines and penalties," he said.

"Also, any complicated requirements that are not mapped out initially tend to breed corruption amid the realities of Russia," he said. "If they're going to require that migrants speak Russian but won't help them in any way, the migrants will just fork over money."

'It won't lead to any good'

Adil Turdukulov, a journalist in Bishkek, said Russia has always faced a dilemma, which has intensified over the course of Putin's rule.

On the one hand, there is a labour shortage and the need to fill jobs with Central Asian migrants, among other sources of labour. On the other hand, there is rising nationalism and so-called postcolonial syndrome, causing the Kremlin to begin flirting with various nationalist groups.

"On the whole, I think this is a shortsighted policy," Turdukulov said. "It won't lead to anything good. Migrants work in places where there is no need to speak Russian like Pushkin or Leo Tolstoy. But everyone has basic communication skills."

This makes Turdukulov think that the government's new idea about a "language rating" and fines for insufficient Russian skills is pure political gamesmanship, which could have negative repercussions in the region.

"In Kyrgyzstan, there's also talk of ... removing Russian as an official language ... I think it's entirely possible that the plan will backfire," he said. "So, again, I stress that this is a shortsighted policy."