Russia Launches Migrant Worker Tracking App in Moscow and Moscow Region

Starting September 1, in Moscow and the Moscow region, citizens of nine former Soviet countries, including Kazakhstan, will be required to provide their geolocation data to the Russian authorities, Orda.kz reports.

In Russia, this has been called an “experiment in migrant registration,” conducted in the two regions mentioned above.

Foreigners will be tracked through an application called “Amina.” Along with Kazakh citizens, it must also be installed by citizens of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Moldova, and Ukraine.

According to Interfax, this applies to those who have come for work purposes.

The app must be installed independently. For authorization, a foreign citizen’s card is required, which in turn can only be obtained after applying for a work permit. If the card is lost, authorization in “Amina” can be done using passport data.

Amina’ will allow registration at the address of the Multifunctional Migration Center (MMC) and remote notification of the Interior Ministry about one’s place of residence and any changes, the outlet writes. 

If the app records that the data is not being transmitted for several days, the foreign citizen will receive a notification requiring confirmation of their location or reporting a change of address to the Interior Ministry. It will not be necessary to appear in person at the Interior Ministry or the MMC, Interfax quotes the Multifunctional Migration Center.

If geolocation data is not transmitted within three working days, the foreign worker will be removed from registration in the MMC.

This may become grounds for being entered into the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Register of Controlled Persons — a list of individuals whose stay in Russia is considered unlawful.

However, as previously reported by Azattyq, the register also includes foreigners who have not broken any laws.

Original Author: Igor Ulitin