Migrant workers arriving in Russia to find job will be forced to face tests of their knowledge of the Russian language, as a new law comes into force.

      Starting from today, all foreigners working in housing maintenance services, retail stores or public services are required to demonstrate a basic knowledge of Russian, and will be allowed to work only after tests passing.

      "Knowledge of Russian will give labor migrants more security and comfort," Federal Migration Service (FMS) head Konstantin Romanovsky said. "Without knowledge of Russian, its impossible for foreign citizens to integrate properly in our society," he added. Romanovsky also found it significant to say that similar practices exist in many other countries.

      Foreign citizens from states where Russian is the official state language - Belarus and South Ossetia - will not be required to take the language test.

      The Migration Service expects 140,000 workers to take the test in 2012-13. Taking the test will cost 5,000 rubles (around $160), but may be cheaper in future, the FMS says.