While many Moldovans are leaving abroad to create a better life, hundreds of foreigners choose to work in our country or to get settled here after marrying Moldovan citizens. The majority come from Russia or Ukraine, but there are also foreigners coming from developed countries, such as Italy, Switzerland or USA, to live in the Republic of Moldova.
The Bureau of Migration and Asylum (BMA) is one of the first institutions with which the foreign citizens interact. This is a structure subordinated to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which ensures the legality of foreigners’ stay in the Republic of Moldova. Up to a year ago, those who were going to the BMA’s North Regional Service, located in Balti city, were served in an old building without basic commodities. Built in the ‘40s of the last century, the building has never been under capital renovation – the ceiling was falling down, just like the plastering from the walls. People were quieting for long for their turn to come, and cold was a reality in all the premises during the winter time. Things changed radically when the building was repaired with the support of the European Union, US Embassy in Moldova, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Now the employees of the Service work in spacious and luminous offices equipped with modern technologies for processing documents and modern furniture, and the visitors are served more rapidly and efficiently. “Before the repair works, the turnover of the personnel was huge. People were leaving not because of the salary, but because of the difficult work conditions,” mentions Boris Gandrabura, Head of the North Regional Service of BMA.
The renovation ended in July 2017. The building became more spacious. A mansard was built and the premises were adjusted to the needs of all the visitors, including those of persons with disabilities.