No CIS Changes

From MT:

"Visas for CIS Citizens 'Won't Be Brought In'"

Russia is not about to institute visa requirements for visitors from neighboring countries, but instead wants to turn the problem of immigration into an asset by creating conditions that will help attract students and qualified professionals, a leading migration official said Monday. "The introduction of visa relations with adjacent countries is unlikely," Federal Migration Service head Konstantin Romodanovsky said in an interview with Kommersant. "In this case integration, actually of any kind, is advantageous for us — both for the economy and for simple citizens." In another interview published Monday, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin called for a visa regime to restrict the current influx of immigrants from the former Soviet republics. Under current law, people from the Commonwealth of Independent states are legally allowed to stay in Russia for 90 days without a visa.  The problem is not immigration itself, Romodanovsky said, but that "those who are coming to Russia are by no means the ones we need." In an attempt to change the face of immigration to Russia, the FMS is currently introducing both incentive and punitive measures. As of 2014, students will find it easier to receive work permits, with Russian employers no longer required to receive special permission in order to hire them, Romodanovsky said. However, a law recently approved by the State Duma bans entrance to Russia for those who have already violated immigration laws. In the past four years, "the total entrance of immigrants to the Russian Federation increased by 37 percent and we had to react somehow," Romodanovsky said.  Asked where the majority of immigrants to Russia originate, Romodanovsky named Ukrainians as those who most frequently cross the border, while the greatest number of people who illegally stay for more than 90 days are from Uzbekistan. "Oddly enough, our most highly developed relationship is with Tajikistan," Romodanovsky said, explaining that Tajikistan has made the greatest number of agreements with Russia on immigration and been most persistent in their enforcement. The FMS said in September that there are 11.2 million immigrants currently residing in Russia, of whom only 1.5 million are working legally.

^ I don't see Russia making the CIS countries need visas to visit for up to 90 days because then Russia would loose it's influence in what it calls the "near abroad." The Baltics (Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia) are not and never were part of the CIS nor was/is Turkmenistan. Georgia used to be until the 2008 War with Russia. The rest of the former Soviet Republics (Russia, Moldova, Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan) are part of the CIS and can travel to each country visa-free with either an internal passport or an international passport. The majority from the CIS go to Russia because there are more opportunities there. They come legally into the country and then stay to work (some register themselves while many don't.) One thing that people should know is that the Russian police in any city or town can legally stop you and check your documents (ie your internal passport if your Russian or your international passport if your not) to see if you have the correct papers, visas, stamps, migration card, etc and if they want they can hold you. I was only stopped once and had to deal with a not so smart officer. He kept asking me why I didn't have a Russian passport - I told him because I wasn't Russian. Then he was confused by my Russian visa - which was in English and Russian. In the end I played his game (I think he was waiting for a bribe - as is custom in Russia  - but I didn't give him one. I answered his dumb questions (in Russian as of course he didn't speak anything else) and went on my way. I have noticed that they also tend to stop pretty girls. I was with my girlfriend (a Russian) and they stopped her. They flirted with her and when they were done she was allowed to leave. The whole Russian Immigration/Migration system (both inside and outside Russia) needs to be fixed. The law-abiding Russians and foreigners should be treated as law-abiding while the illegals should be treated as such. I don't see that changing anytime soon, but one can hope. ^

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/visas-for-cis-citizens-wont-be-brought-in/488248.html