Photo: Daily Mail
On Tuesday, during parliamentary hearings, it was noted that the law allows workers to be housed in student dormitories, school dormitories, workers’ dormitories, and mobile housing units. However, companies must notify local authorities of this. In a recent case where 102 migrant workers were fined, it turned out that a commercial agent had failed to notify local authorities of their placement there.
Regulatory Gaps
And the main legal problem boils down to the status of the property—the mobile homes do not have a cadastral number. Without this, it is impossible to register a foreigner’s place of residence and issue the necessary documents. In 2023, changes to the regulatory framework took effect, under which the requirement was amended: instead of “living space,” a document confirming ownership or right of use is now required. This is linked to the Housing Law and the government decree on identity documents, which stipulate that a property must have a cadastral code to be registered. It is impossible to issue such a document for temporary trailer homes, which means it is impossible to confirm ownership or right of use.
Elena Kolyuzhko, Head of the Main Directorate for Policies on Integrated State Border Management, Migration, and Asylum at the Ministry of Internal Affairs: “This is precisely the problem, since a foreigner’s residence permit is issued by the ASP (Agency for Public Services), that is, by the General Inspectorate for Migration through the ASP. In temporary modular settlements or other types of facilities located outside a populated area or lacking a cadastral code, this is impossible, as the right of use cannot be verified.”
Lawmaker: “Trailer parks aren’t a problem”
As a result, a stalemate has emerged: the law does not prohibit living in trailer homes, but government agencies cannot legalize or register a person who has come to work there. According to the deputies, the situation needs to be changed, and legislation will likely need to be amended.
“We believe we need to regulate this, and I think we should hold the next meeting with economic stakeholders so they can tell us what difficulties they face and what changes to the law are necessary,” said lawmaker Marina Morozova, noting that “in reality, the trailers aren’t the problem—the problem lies in the living conditions inside them.”
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