Migration bill passes third reading in parliament
By Nigar Orujova
The Azerbaijani parliament at its extraordinary session adopted Migration Code in the third reading on June 13.
The Code sets standards for public policy in migration, regulation of the migration processes and relationships that arise in this field, as well as rules on the legal status of foreigners and persons without citizenship in Azerbaijan. The updated document was presented by Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Policy and State Building Ali Huseynli.
During a debate on the bill, some parliament members proposed to allow travelling of a child with permission of one of the parents. This clause is based on the fact that in some cases, when one parent breaks ties with his or her family, the other parent loses the right to take the child out of the country.
Huseynli commented that such permission may create the conditions for abuse, including human trafficking.
The final version of the bill reflected such issues as the study of the Azerbaijani language by foreign citizens permanently residing in Azerbaijan and granting citizenship to foreigners who invested hefty assets in the country's economy, as well as the citizenship of people living outside the country and the issue of simplifying registration, Huseynli said.
The lawmakers also made amendments to the Administrative Code at the extraordinary meeting.
Huseynli said that according to the amendments, the right of foreigners and stateless persons who were evicted from Azerbaijan by administrative deportation to re-enter the country is limited in duration from one to five years.
According to the amendments, the deadline for leaving the country for deported persons is 48 hours.