On Wednesday, April 10, Russian Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, approved in the first reading a bill introducing obligatory testing in Russian language, history and laws for laboãr migrants.

      Similar requirements are currently valid for migrant workers employed in the utilities sector, retail and social services.

      An explanation statement for the new bill says that most labour migrants who come to Russia are young people from ex-Soviet states who do not speak the language and are poorly informed about the country’s culture and laws.

      Applicants will have to pay up to 5,000 rubles (about $160) to take the test. The tests will be conducted by certified educational facilities in Russia and abroad. All people who have passed it will be given a certificate valid for five years.

      The law will not concern narrow-purpose workers and qualified foreign specialists. The law's authors say the tests will not be necessary for sportsmen, performers and top managers of large companies investing in the Russian economics.