The Numbers
In January 2025, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) published its annual migration enforcement report for 2024. The headline figure: approximately 80,000 foreign nationals were expelled or deported from Russia during the calendar year, a near-doubling of the approximately 42,000 expulsions recorded in 2023.
The breakdown by enforcement action:
- Administrative expulsion (administrativnoye vydvoreniye): approximately 62,000 cases. This is the most common form, ordered by courts for immigration violations under Articles 18.8 through 18.11 of the Code of Administrative Offences.
- Deportation (deportatsiya): approximately 11,000 cases. Deportation is applied to individuals whose legal basis for stay has been cancelled (revoked visa, annulled residence permit) and who fail to depart voluntarily within the prescribed period.
- Undesirable stay decisions (nechelatelnost prebyvaniya): approximately 7,000 cases. These are issued by the FSB or MVD when a foreign national is deemed a threat to national security, public order, or public health.
Who Was Expelled
By Nationality
The MVD report provides nationality data for the largest groups:
- Uzbekistan: approximately 22,000 (28% of total)
- Tajikistan: approximately 18,000 (23%)
- Kyrgyzstan: approximately 8,500 (11%)
- Azerbaijan: approximately 6,200 (8%)
- Ukraine: approximately 4,800 (6%)
- Armenia: approximately 3,100 (4%)
- Moldova: approximately 2,400 (3%)
- China: approximately 2,100 (3%)
- Vietnam: approximately 1,500 (2%)
- Other countries: approximately 11,400 (14%)
The concentration among Central Asian nationalities reflects both the size of these communities in Russia and the nature of enforcement operations, which have focused heavily on labor migration violations.
By Violation Type
The most common violations leading to expulsion were:
- Overstay (remaining beyond the authorized period): 35% of cases.
- Working without authorization (no work patent or permit): 28%.
- Failure to register with the MVD within the required timeframe: 15%.
- Document fraud (forged or purchased migration documents): 12%.
- Criminal convictions: 7%.
- Other administrative violations: 3%.
Why the Doubling
Several factors contributed to the sharp increase in 2024:
Increased Enforcement Operations
The MVD and regional police conducted significantly more targeted enforcement operations in 2024 than in previous years. Named operations included "Nelegal" (Illegal), "Patent" (Work Patent), and "Rynok" (Market), focused on construction sites, agricultural operations, markets, and other workplaces with high concentrations of foreign workers.
According to MVD reporting, the number of migration-related workplace inspections increased from approximately 180,000 in 2023 to over 310,000 in 2024.
New Surveillance Technology
The expansion of facial recognition systems in Moscow and other major cities has significantly enhanced the ability of authorities to identify individuals with irregular immigration status. Moscow's system, which covers the metro, public transport, and major public spaces, processed approximately 2.5 billion facial scans in 2024. Of these, approximately 15,000 led to identification of individuals with outstanding immigration violations or entry bans.
Post-Attack Security Measures
Following the Crocus City Hall attack in March 2024, which killed 145 people, Russian authorities significantly tightened immigration enforcement. President Putin publicly stated the need for stronger migration controls, and the MVD was directed to increase inspections of migrant workers and expedite the processing of expulsion cases. The attack, attributed to individuals from Tajikistan, intensified scrutiny of Central Asian migrants in particular.
Legislative Changes
The new 90-day-per-365-day rule (Federal Law No. 260-FZ), which took effect January 1, 2025, was anticipated throughout 2024. Enforcement activity in the latter half of 2024 reflected a deliberate effort to identify and process individuals who would be in violation under the new rules.
Consequences of Expulsion
Entry Bans
All forms of expulsion carry mandatory entry bans:
- Administrative expulsion: five-year entry ban.
- Deportation: five-year entry ban.
- Undesirable stay decision: ten-year entry ban (or permanent, at the discretion of the issuing authority).
- Second expulsion: The entry ban for a second administrative expulsion within a ten-year period is ten years.
Financial Costs
Expelled individuals bear the cost of their departure. If they cannot pay, the cost is charged to their employer (if identifiable) or to the government, which then seeks reimbursement. Average transportation costs for deportees from Central Asia range from 15,000 to 35,000 rubles.
Impact on Future Immigration
An expulsion record effectively bars the individual from obtaining any Russian immigration document (visa, work patent, RVP, VNZh) for the duration of the entry ban. The record is maintained indefinitely in the Unified Migration Database, and even after the ban expires, the history of expulsion may negatively affect future applications.
Regional Variations
Expulsion rates varied significantly by region:
- Moscow and Moscow Oblast: approximately 24,000 (30% of the national total), reflecting both the concentration of foreign workers and the intensity of enforcement.
- St. Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast: approximately 8,500 (11%).
- Krasnodar Krai: approximately 4,200 (5%).
- Sverdlovsk Oblast (Yekaterinburg): approximately 3,800 (5%).
- Novosibirsk Oblast: approximately 2,900 (4%).
Impact on Sending Countries
Uzbekistan
With 22,000 nationals expelled, Uzbekistan was most affected in absolute numbers. The Uzbek Agency for External Labor Migration issued a statement acknowledging the increase and urging citizens to verify their documents before traveling. Uzbek remittances from Russia totaled approximately $14.5 billion in 2024, making Russia the most important source of external income for the country.
Tajikistan
The 18,000 Tajik nationals expelled represented a significant proportion of the Tajik diaspora. Remittances from Tajiks in Russia constituted approximately 32% of Tajikistan's GDP in 2024, making the country particularly vulnerable to disruptions in the migration corridor.
Context
The 80,000 expulsions should be understood in the context of Russia's total foreign population. With approximately 6 to 7 million foreign nationals present in Russia at any given time in 2024, the expulsion rate represents roughly 1.2% of the foreign population. This rate is comparable to or lower than enforcement rates in several other major destination countries: the United States removed approximately 1.4 million individuals in fiscal year 2024, and the European Union returned approximately 340,000 third-country nationals in 2023.
What distinguishes the Russian data is the speed of increase — a doubling in a single year — and the systemic nature of the legislative changes accompanying it. The creation of the irregular foreigners registry, the 90-day rule reform, and the military service requirement for residence permits all suggest that the enforcement trend will continue into 2025 and beyond.
Key Legal References
- Code of Administrative Offences of the Russian Federation, Articles 18.8-18.11.
- Federal Law No. 115-FZ of July 25, 2002, "On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation."
- Federal Law No. 114-FZ of August 15, 1996, "On the Procedure for Exit from and Entry into the Russian Federation."
Foreign nationals in Russia should ensure their documentation is current and compliant. Those who are uncertain about their status should seek legal advice before their situation deteriorates into an enforcement action.
