Migrants in Russia to earn points for residency

The Russian Federal Migration Service (FMS) is planning to introduce a points-based system for obtaining a residence permit in Russia, where the number of points will depend on the degree of the integration of a foreigner into Russian society and the relevance of their skills to the labor market. The department is working on the modernization of temporary residence permits and currently-existing residence permits.

"In the future it will be possible on a points-based system, where the number of points depends on the level of education, the demand for the profession, the degree of knowledge of the Russian language, social status and the availability of housing to apply for residency," the head of the Federal Migration Service, Konstantin Romodanovsky, said today at a plenary session "Migration aspects of Russian-Ukrainian cooperation at the current stage," RIA Novosti reported.

The head of the Federal Migration Service said that the need for highly-skilled and qualified employees should be determined by the economy of a given region.