IOM’s Migrant Support Centers have received more reports of migrants being denied re-entry to the Russian Federation. Many of these migrants are “blacklisted” by the Russian Federation’s Federal Security Service. On May 15, IOM’s Legal Consultant met with the Head of the Border Control Department and the Head of the Informational-Analytical Unit of the Chief Department of Border forces under the State Comity for National Security. The meeting discussed the feasibility of having the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation make the latest list of re-entry bans available to the Government of Tajikistan’s Migration Service (MS) so that they could inform and advise their citizens of how to best proceed in response to this ban on entry into Russia.

The Head of Departments stated that the Russian Federal Security Service provides an updated list of Tajik migrants who are not allowed to re-enter Russia every six months. This information is then subsequently sent to the personnel working at the various border checkpoints in the country. However, because of the outdated technical equipment and because there is only a limited time allocated for control procedures of citizens crossing the border, it is not possible to check all citizens’ status on re-entry bans in order to recommend them not to go to Russia. 

Many Tajik citizens are not aware that they are prohibited from entering Russia. They therefore fly to their chosen Russian city of destination, only to be sent back to Tajikistan by members of the Russian border guards, leading to significant financial loss for Tajik migrants. It was agreed that the Chief Department of Border Forces will pass on the list of migrants with entry ban to IOM and MS on a regular basis for the purpose of informing migrants. Also the further possibilities of posting the list on the MS web site, and possibilities of enabling the Tajik border guards to use this list at the border checkpoints for informing blacklisted migrants were discussed.

Further developments on this issue will be provided in the future bulletins.