Russian State Duma to consider amendments to labor migration law

The Committee of the State Duma on constitutional legislature and
state construction recommended passing the bill in its second reading
on May 7th, which will simplify procedures for hiring foreigners, RIA
Novosti reports.

According to the chairman of the committee, Vladimir Pligin, the bill
proposes prolonging the stay of highly skilled foreign specialists in
Russia to 1 year if their labor contract is prolonged.

They may stay up to 3 years. Residence permits may be issued even
without the condition of living within 1 year, Pligin said.

Residence permits may be issued for more than 5 years. Employers don’t
need permission to hire highly skilled foreigner workers.

The labor quota will not be restricted.


The bill defines a highly skilled foreign specialist as a foreign
national with a minimum income of 2 million roubles a year. The
Russian government will have the right to tax the foreign worker’s
wages.

The employer needs to make a request to receive permission for the
specialist to arrive. The specialist also has the right to make the
request.


The bill also involves compulsory medical insurance.

Minister of Economic Development Elvira Nabiullina said that the 2
million rouble minimum could be lowered, depending on the project.


The bill regulates the work of Russian citizens from countries that
have visa-free travel agreements with Russia.


Russian employers will be able to invite specialists not only for
commercial work. Foreigners will need a license for certain types of
work which lasts 3 months and can be prolonged to 12 months. To
receive this, a foreigner needs to pay one thousand roubles.

Over 3.4 million foreigners havefailed to legalize their relations
with Russian citizens.

Passing the bill will help solve the issue of corruption.