By Taguhi Melkonyan

Sudhan Kumar, 28, was visiting the blood bank of the Blood Center in Kanaker-Zeytun district of Yerevan for the first time. At the blood components’ seizure department, Kumar's personal data was first checked to find out if he has the right of residence in Armenia. The Indian young man tried to explain in broken English that he forgot the "paper" regarding his residence status at home, but the employee, who was an elderly woman, responded in Armenian that she did not understand what was said. While waiting for my turn to draw blood, listening to the conversation, I tried to help the young man and translate what he said. I explained to her that the foreigner forgot his residence status document at home, although it was not excluded that my interlocutor was an illegal migrant. I conveyed Kumar's request to the employee to register his Indian passport details so that he would be eligible to donate blood. The blood bank employee first refused, then approached him. After the examination and successful blood donation, having earned 14,000 drams for the donation, Kumar went to the reception area, waiting for a fellow countryman to donate blood.

This case aroused my journalistic interest, and I decided to study more deeply and present with facts the visible and hidden problems related to Indian migrants in Armenia.

Queues of Indians at the blood bank

In addition to Kumar, about a dozen Indians were waiting in line at the blood bank of the Hematology Center named after Professor Yolyan. This fact first surprised and moved me. It was sad to see how migrants were forced to sell their blood for a small amount of money, but realizing how friendly Indians saved the lives of our compatriots by donating 400-500 milliliters of blood was impressive. And for those suffering from blood diseases and, in general, for our country under the threat of war, the nationality, skin color, or religion of the blood donor does not matter. Any healthy person over the age of 18 can become a donor. And healthy people living in Armenia, as a rule, are ready to become blood donors in case of dire need, when, for example, their relatives need it, or during war, when blood is needed for the wounded.

Despite the stereotypes formed by the Armenian public, friendly Indians have quite high-quality blood, which is proven even at the Hematology Center.

According to the employees of the blood bank, during the examination of Indian donors, absolute or temporary contraindications excluding donation are rarely found, which means that they can generally donate blood without hindrance.

There are no statistical data on foreign blood donors in Armenia

It is not possible to find out what kind of impact the blood donation of Indian citizens or, in general, foreigners has on Armenia's blood reserves, especially when there are no official data related to blood donation by foreigners in Armenia.

According to the information provided to Armenian News-NEWS.am by medical organizations under the Ministry of Health of Armenia, the number of paid blood donors in Armenia in 2023 was 5,216, and in the first four months of 2024 it was 2,000. It is not possible to determine how many of the donors are citizens of India and how many of other countries because according to the Ministry of Health, there are no separate statistics on foreign citizens who are blood donors.

From Punjab to Yerevan, with the prospect of starting a restaurant business

Sudhan Kumar, meeting me again at the reception, thanked me for the translation, said that he was very satisfied with the service staff, who, apart from their caring attitude, treated to natural juice, and also informed that after donating blood, one should not engage in heavy physical work, eat well and drink plenty of fluids. In my turn, I expressed my gratitude to him for the step he took, then introducing myself as a journalist, I asked him to tell me about the reasons for coming to Armenia and becoming a blood donor.

Like many of his compatriots living in Armenia, Kumar also moved here with the prospect of finding a better job. A chef by profession, Kumar arrived in Yerevan from Punjab, India, with his friend Satendra Singh in December of last year, and started working at his Indian acquaintance's newly opened restaurant, with the dream of opening his own restaurant in the future.

His friend's Indian restaurant opened on Koryun Street was operating at a loss and only operated for 40 days due to lack of visitors. In the months that followed, Kumar worked with a friend to foreclose on a restaurant property and took a day job in construction.

"I have never been involved in construction and professional work, unfortunately I can't do it, and they pay me 6,000 drams a day for labor, which is often not even enough for rent. Besides, I don't know Armenian, and finding a normal job here without knowing the language is almost impossible. Now I have to come to donate blood so that I can make up for the lack of this month's salary, and from next week I will start working in two shifts," said Kumar. In the dormitory where the Indian migrant temporarily settled, the monthly fee for a single bed is 40,000 drams. There are four people in the room, two from India and the other two from Congo. Kumar said that the police recently inspected the dormitory area and fined two of the roommates for not having documents.

Most of the illegal migrants found in Armenia are Indian citizens

According to the official data published by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Armenia, the majority of illegal migrants found as a result of various activities or inspections conducted by the criminal police are Indian citizens. Only last year, an unprecedented amount of offenses by Indian migrants was recorded in Armenia. In particular, the Migration and Citizenship Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Armenia in 2023 brought administrative accountability to 8,284 citizens of India for living in Armenia without a valid visa or residence status. This unprecedentedly high indicator is due to the large flow of citizens from India to Armenia and the facilitation of the entry visa procedures in Armenia. The legislative changes that took place in the process of issuing an entry visa to Armenia in 2022, Indian citizens were given the opportunity to receive an electronic entry visa without any restrictions.

In seven months, 31,924 citizens of India received entry visas for Armenia

In recent years, the number of citizens arriving in Armenia from India and applying for an entry visa in electronic version has increased dramatically. Armenian News-NEWS.am has learned about this by recapping the data received from the Migration and Citizenship Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in response to a written request. According to official information, 67,609 citizens of India received entry visas for Armenia in 2023, and 25,062 in 2022. According to the data received from the Migration and Citizenship Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, 31,924 citizens of India received entry visas for Armenia in January-July 2024, which is 2,109 more than the figure for the same period last year. During the seven months of 2024, 858 citizens of India received the status of residence in Armenia, of which 159 were on the basis of education, and 646 were on the basis of working.

The number of Indians who have committed a crime in Armenia has significantly decreased

This year, the number of Indian citizens who committed offenses in Armenia and were prosecuted for them has decreased significantly. In response to Armenian News-NEWS.am's written inquiry, the Migration and Citizenship Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that 441 Indian citizens were administratively charged for living in Armenia without a valid visa or residence status during the first seven months of 2024, and 22,500,000 drams were charged as a result of the administrative proceedings, while 8,284 citizens of India were prosecuted for offenses during the previous year.

According to Section 1 of Article 201 of the Civil Code of Armenia, the residence of foreigners in the Republic of Armenia without a valid permission or residence status or with invalid documents, as well as violating the order of transit traffic through the territory of the Republic of Armenia, sets a fine of 50- to 100-fold of the minimum wage set in the Republic of Armenia..

From fine to criminal liability. In which case is the migrant expelled from Armenia?

After arriving in Armenia, many Indian citizens establish temporary residence here without having proper documents and other legal grounds. Although many of them still manage to avoid being caught by law enforcement, for some migrants, attempts to enter Armenia with illegal documents or illegally cross the Armenian border are largely unsuccessful and have serious consequences. It should be noted that for illegally crossing the state border of the Republic of Armenia without a proper permit, criminal responsibility is set, up to deportation from Armenia by court decision. According to the Criminal Code of Armenia, expulsion of a foreign citizen from the territory of the Republic of Armenia is applied only as an additional punishment.

According to the research of Armenian News-NEWS.am, it became clear that the cases of expulsion of Indian citizens from Armenia by the court's decision have also increased recently. Several dozen cases of illegal Indian migrants are currently pending in the courts. One of the latest criminal proceedings to expel Indian citizens from Armenia is related to the case of illegal border crossing.

According to the reports publicized in the judicial information system, Indian citizens Amandeep Singh, Vikas Ranai, and Surya Partapi crossed the Armenian-Georgian border without proper documents in February 2024, but were found and arrested by the border guard troops of the National Security Service of Armenia. According to the verdict of May 30, 2024 by judge S. Mardanyan of the first instance court of general jurisdiction of Tavush Province of Armenia, these three Indian citizens were sentenced to six months in prison and expelled from the territory of the Republic of Armenia for five years.

According to Article 62 of the Criminal Code of Armenia, the expulsion of a foreign citizen from the territory of the Republic of Armenia is the expulsion of a foreign citizen subject to criminal liability in the Republic of Armenia from the borders of the Republic of Armenia, prohibiting him from being in the Republic of Armenia.

According to international norms, those foreigners who enter or are in—reside—in violation of the laws of the given country are considered illegal migrants. And it is possible to legally enter and live in another country only in case of family reunification, education, work, and asylum.

Why are businesses founded by Indian citizens closing down in Armenia?

In an attempt to legalize their future residence in the territory of Armenia, Indian citizens open individual enterprises here, most of which do not actually carry out any activity, or try to get a job in companies operating in the territory of Armenia. But before obtaining a work permit or residence status, they stop their cooperation and continue to remain in the territory of Armenia without legal grounds.

Associate Professor Anna Parsyan, a Candidate of Economics, told Armenian News-NEWS.am that only in the last one year, she provided advice on issues related to the termination of business activities to a number of Indian citizens who had founded their organizations in order to carry out activities in the service provision.

"The founders state in private conversations that the main reason for the failure of organizations is insufficient awareness of the local market, strict administration, etc. But in reality, investments are made in these organizations only in the first quarter in order to organize their documentation. The thing is that within a month after submitting an application regarding the status of residence, the administrative body checks the business process, and after receiving the card regarding the status of residence, proper control is not carried out, and after a short time the organizations cease to exist," explained the economist.

Incomparably cheap shadow labor 

According to unofficial data, there has been an unprecedented influx of Indian citizens into the labor market of Armenia in recent years. According to statistical data, out of 67,609 citizens of India who received an entry visa to Armenia in 2023, only 1,437 received residence status based on working in Armenia, which means that the labor employment of tens of thousands of migrants in Armenia was largely shadowy.

According to Anna Parsyan, although Indian migrants are considered as cheap labor for employers, not registering them is primarily risky for the employer.

"Unfortunately, many of these jobs are shadowy, do not have proper registration, and create additional risks from the point of view of tax administration and general social policy," the economist noted, adding that Armenia's labor or social policy is not targeted in this matter.

"Many citizens of the Republic of Armenia are deprived of jobs due to the presence of shadow jobs. There are not a few cases of violation of labor rights of Indian citizens, including the work schedule, which proper oversight is not carried out in order to identify them," she said.

Criminal proceedings for trafficking or exploitation of Indian nationals in Armenia

Staying in the territory of Armenia without legal grounds, among other negative consequences, also causes a high risk of being trafficked. In response to Armenian News-NEWS.am's written request, the Investigative Committee of Armenia informed that during the last four years, the Investigative Committee of Armenia has initiated four criminal proceedings in cases of trafficking involving Indian citizens—two of them in Tavush and Ararat Provinces, and the others in capital Yerevan.

And according to the information provided to Armenian News-NEWS.am by the Information Center of the Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Armenia, 17 citizens of the Republic of India were recognized as victims in the criminal proceedings initiated regarding the trafficking or exploitation of the citizens of the Republic of India in 2023, and 12 citizens of India—in the proceedings initiated in the first half of 2024. According to the Criminal Code of Armenia, up to 15 years of imprisonment is set for human trafficking or exploitation.

It is proposed to tighten the procedures for Indian citizens to enter the territory of Armenia

As a result of studies of migration flows, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Armenia has found that the number of Indian citizens entering Armenia, who enter the country and continue to stay here without legalizing their residence, has increased dramatically.

Taking into account the created situation, the Ministry of Internal Affairs introduced in February 2024 the draft decision of the Government of the Republic of Armenia on making an addition to Government of the Republic of Armenia No. 329-N decision of April 4, 2008 , trying to clearly regulate the procedures for entering the territory of Armenia. In particular, it is proposed to establish a requirement for a return airline ticket for the citizens of India, Iraq, and Egypt as a proof of the intention to return within the specified period. In order to assess the credibility of the applications, it is recommended that the citizens of the mentioned countries establish the presence of financial means—bank statement, other evidence—as a necessary condition for applying with the E-VISA system, as well as establish the existence of health—travel—insurance as a prerequisite for receiving an e-visa.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the adoption of this draft will enable to oversee migration flows into Armenia from a number of countries, including India, and to prevent possible negative consequences as a result of illegal migration. The draft is currently under development.

Speaking to Armenian News-NEWS.am, the co-founder and president of the Armenian-Indian Friendship public organization, Rananjay Anand, expressed the opinion that tightening the visa regime will not serve its purpose in the desired way.

"Illegal immigration is certainly a big problem for any country. It is neither beneficial to India nor to Armenia. The two countries should think and develop certain plans to identify and resolve the issue with a favorable outcome. It is true that as a result of possible tightening, illegal immigration will undoubtedly decrease, but it will have a negative impact on the flow of people who intend to get an education or engage in business activities in Armenia," he said.

According to Anand, India offers the world the largest outbound tourism, and Armenia also can take advantage of these opportunities.

In his view, when refusing a visa, one should take into account whether this fact will harm bilateral, especially Armenian business interests, including tourism, which is one of the mainstays of Armenia's economy.

"When direct flights between Yerevan and New Delhi are launched, the introduction of a stricter visa regime will have the opposite effect," he noted.

Armenian Airlines plans to launch direct flights between Yerevan and New Delhi starting from November 15.

Reflecting on the methods of combating illegal immigration, Anand pointed out the importance of an effective mechanism for proper investigation of personal data and documents of immigrants. In addition, according to him, additional efforts should be made to protect the rights of labor migrants.

"Armenia definitely needs both experienced and novice workers who will help speed up the pace of infrastructure development. In order to receive them legally, it is necessary to develop a mechanism to sign bilateral memoranda on labor and immigration, protecting the interests of employers and employees," concluded the expert.

The facts presented above prove that there are many problems in the overseeing of migration flows from India to Armenia, for the effective solution of which multifaceted reforms are needed both in terms of the development of the migration policy and the proper implementation of the state oversight mechanisms.