Russia's health checks on foreigners might lead to many foreign execs' leaving

RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS - In Brief 16 Dec 2021 by Alex Teddy

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Moscow announced that foreigners resident in Russia will be subjected to a medical test every 3 months. EU companies are lobbying against this, saying it will cause many people to leave. The law is to take effect on December 31. Foreigners will be tested for tuberculosis, coronavirus, drug use, HIV and other STDs. The law will apply to everyone over the age of 16.Some companies suspect that it is Russia telling foreign companies that they are not wanted. There are over 1,000 German companies active in Russia and they are very disturbed by the new law. Many businesses will pull out of the law is not made milder.The law was passed in summer 2021 but the details were only revealed in November 2021. The Association of European Businesses and the American Chamber of Commerce have asked for the law to be amended. They told the government that the law has caused ''indignation''. They warned the Kremlin that it will make attracting investors much more difficult. The Ministry of the Economy is said to be worried about the impact of the law.Highly Qualified Specialist is a visa category to bring in well-paid employees. It is suggested that people with this visa might be tested annually.Farming and construction rely heavily on laborers from Central Asia. These health checks will make it harder for these sectors to recruit enough labor. Those found to have illnesses will be expelled. It is already difficult to recruit workers from Central Asia to work in remote regions. Five million guest workers returned to Central Asia in 2020 when the pandemic began, and only a third of them have since returned to Russia.Russian unemployment is at an all time low. The downside of that is that t...