All migrants will have to take Russian language test
Baku, January 22 (AZERTAC). Starting December 1 this year all migrants to Russia will be required to pass a Russian language test. Migrants who don’t speak Russian will now find it very difficult to find work. Most migrants pass the test - only one out of ten fail it. Experts say the requirements of the Russian Migration Service are soft enough.
The Russian language exam for migrants consists of five parts. At first, migrants are asked to write several simple sentences about themselves, then they read a short text and answer questions covering the contents. They also have to take a grammar and listening test during which they listen to a short story and find it among the given options. The most difficult part of the Russian language test is the interview where migrants are required to understand other people and give clear and logical answers to the asked questions. The examiners don’t criticize examinees, as some foreigners are not familiar with Russian declensions, genders and cases.
Migrants who seek Russian citizenship and residency have been taking the Russian language test since 2006.
On December 1 the Russian language test became obligatory for housing and public utilities workers and people employed in sales and services. Most guest workers find work in these areas. Bakhrom Ismailov of the Federal Migration Service’s Public Council, comments.
"About 90% of guest workers take the Russian language test. The test is fairly easy. Under the law, a foreign worker who works in the services industry must know at least 400 Russian words. If he knows fewer than that, he won’t get the certificate. And without a certificate, he will be denied work a permit."
If a migrant fails the test, he will still be able to find work, at a construction site. Construction workers will be required to take the language test as of 2015.
The test can be taken an unlimited number of times. Each Russian city offers Russian language courses for foreigners. As a rule, two months are enough to learn basic vocabulary and to acquire writing and reading skills necessary to pass the exam and obtain work permit. Taking the test is not free - it costs about $100, or 3,000 rubles.
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