An immigration amnesty will only be effective in countries such as the United States and Russia, which have a large number of immigrant workers. There are very many refugee-immigrants in Europe who come in search of new life. An amnesty for them would create many risks.

       The immigration amnesty proposed by Russian Business Ombudsman Boris Titov is a good idea, say the countries from which the majority of immigrant workers in Russia come. But US and European experts say that it will not suit all countries.

       Muratbek Imanaliev, former General Secretary of Shanghai Cooperation Organization and former Foreign Minister of Kyrgyzstan, said that Russia would benefit from legalizing foreign workers, because a large part of the funds involved in the illegal immigration schemes would then go to the state. He said the project would also help migrant workers to be assimilated into society.

       Former President of the Republic of Moldova Petru Lucinschi believes that foreigners must abide by the laws of the country where they come to work, and that illegal immigrants would be happy to live and work legally. “If you compare the risks involved – to pay taxes or to live illegally, 99% of illegal workers will say that they would rather pay taxes and live legally,” Mr. Lucinschi told RIA Novosti during the ongoing Valdai Club meeting. He proposed looking back at the Soviet practice of recruitment offices.

       Former Deputy Assistant US Attorney General Allan Gerson said that President Barack Obama had proposed resolving the issue of illegal immigration by announcing an amnesty. Mr Gerson said Obama’s plan involves considering the length of stay in the country. It is also important to determine why illegal immigrants came to the country, how long they have lived there, and if there is an alternative to deporting them, he said.

       An immigration amnesty will only be effective in countries such as the United States and Russia, which have a large number of immigrant workers, said Orietta Moscatelli, chief editor and head of the New Europe desk at TMNews press agency. “There are very many refugee-immigrants in Europe who come in search of new life. A great many of them are in Italy. An amnesty for them would create many risks in Europe. We must distinguish clearly between those who come in search of jobs and those who come to stay,” she said.

       At the same time, experts noted that our modern economy depends very strongly on immigrant workers.

       RIA Novosti

       Views expressed are of individual Members and Contributors, rather than the Club's, unless explicitly stated otherwise.