compilated by: Sahar Yaghoubi
A regulation set to take effect by the end of the year that will require practically all foreigners in Russia to be checked for a variety of ailments using blood tests and X-rays will make the nation less attractive to talent.
According to a group of Russian business organizations, the new directive requires virtually all overseas workers, as well as family members over the age of seven, to undergo quarterly medical examinations for diseases such as leprosy, tuberculosis, syphilis, and HIV/AIDS, according to an open letter sent to Bloomberg on Monday.
Within 30 days after entering Russia, drug therapists, psychiatrists, and infectious-diseases professionals will conduct screenings as well as the additional standards.
“It’s been a long time since a single legislative measure has produced such a massive wave of bewilderment, dissatisfaction, and fury among thousands of international managers,” Matthias Schepp, head of the Russian-German Chamber of Foreign Trade, told Moscow business newspaper RBK.
According to him, the new rule, which will take effect on December 29, would cause Russia to lose “much of its desirability as a location to work.”
The bill was opposed by ten business organizations, including the US Chamber of Commerce and the Association of European Businesses.
The writers of the letter to the Russian government requested that highly skilled experts, as well as holders of residency permits, be exempt from the screening process. The law’s censure comes as anti-immigrant sentiment erupted in Russia’s capital.
The increased criteria for immigrants in Russia after the Covid-19 outbreak, which drastically altered the country’s foreign workforce. Russia has one of the world’s fastest-growing rates of HIV infection, with over 1 million individuals thought to be infected.
