MOSCOW. March 5 (Interfax) - A register of controlled persons that can be used to check the legality of foreigners' stay in the country has been created in Russia, the number of those deported increased by 45% last year, Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev said.
"The Interior Ministry has implemented major migration-related initiatives, including those aimed at improving legislative regulation. The police have been empowered to make independent decisions on administrative expulsion of foreigners. Deportation regulations have been introduced for those who stay in Russia illegally, and a register of controlled persons has been created," Kolokoltsev said at an expanded meeting of the Interior Ministry board on Wednesday.
The register received 5.5 million inquiries over a month helping to identify 400,000 people, he said
The commission of crimes by illegal migrants has now become an aggravating circumstance, and the maximum period of stay for people entering Russia without visas has been reduced to under 90 days a year, he said.
The number of people deported from Russia increased by 45% and the number of those prosecuted for breaching the entry and stay rules increased by 11% last year, Kolokoltsev said.
"The citizenship of almost 1,500 people was terminated due to involvement in illegal actions [last year]. The number of criminal offenses associated with illegal migration registered by the police doubled over the past year," he said.
"Some 700,000 foreign citizens did not have grounds to stay in Russia as of the end of the year," Kolokoltsev said.
They have been given until April 30 to settle their status, and "all legal instruments, including deportation, will be used" after that date, Kolokoltsev said.