MOSCOW, May 20 (RIA Novosti) - An impressive 40% of Russians think it necessary to toughen immigration laws, shows an opinion poll by the All-Russia Public Opinion Study Center (VTsIOM).

Residents of megalopolises are the strongest prejudiced against immigrants. Thus, the idea found support with 63% of respondents in Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia's largest cities.

Significantly, 9% spoke up for immigration totally banned.

Fourteen per cent, on the contrary, deem it necessary to mitigate immigration qualifications, in particular, streamline immigrant registration. Another 8% call to abolish all qualifications for anyone who so wishes to freely settle in Russia.

Immigration sends crime and corruption up, 63% are warning. A mere 20% highlight positive economic effects of immigration while 38% are rather skeptical on that point.

A majority of respondents are wary of immigrants rivaling residents in the labor market. That opinion is prevalent in Moscow and St. Petersburg, with 88%.

Half the respondents, on the contrary, stress a bad manpower shortage in low-paid unqualified jobs, and say that immigrants are filling in the gap. The respective percentage is much higher in Moscow and St. Petersburg - 82%.

Russia is to encourage immigration of ethnic Russians and Russian speakers, and keep all others off, argue 69%. 57% welcome yuppies, and call to bar entry to elderly or disabled people, and persons with inadequate education.

The poll conducted on April 23-24, involved 1,600 respondents in a hundred urban and rural settlements in forty Russia's regions, territories and autonomies. The statistical error is within 3.4%.