Translated with AI
The Russian State Duma has passed a law tightening income requirements for foreign workers and establishing specific deadlines for leaving the country in the event of a patent being revoked or not renewed. Most of the new regulations will take effect in 2027, Fergana.ru reported, citing the State Duma's official website.
According to the adopted law, if a foreign citizen's patent or work permit is revoked or not renewed, they must leave Russia within 15 days. Their minor children, including those adopted or under their guardianship, must leave the country with them.
The 15-day period will begin immediately from the moment the relevant document is cancelled, and not after the expiration of the foreigner's permitted period of stay in Russia.
Currently, the law requires foreign citizens to leave the country only upon expiration of their stay. However, no specific deadline for departure is established. The new law tightens both of these requirements.
An exception is provided for minors who have other legal grounds for staying in Russia.
Income requirements for migrants The new law also requires foreign citizens to have an income no lower than the regional subsistence minimum, taking into account a special coefficient.
If a foreign citizen works simultaneously in two Russian regions, the higher figure will be used in the calculation. However, the established income level cannot exceed the average monthly salary in the respective region.
If a foreign worker's income falls below the established level, their employment contract will be considered terminated and the period of their permitted stay in Russia will be reduced.
A patent will not be issued or extended if there is no information on the foreign citizen's income or if their earnings are below the established minimum level. The calculation will take into account the funds required to support the foreign citizen and each dependent child.
The length of children's stay will be linked to their parents' patents. The period of temporary stay for minor children of foreign workers will be extended for the duration of the parent's patent, but not longer than until the child reaches 18 years of age.
To do this, it is necessary to pay a fixed advance payment of personal income tax, taking into account each child.
Upon reaching adulthood, a foreign citizen must either leave Russia within 30 days or apply for a patent and pay the required advance payment.
Tax authorities and the Ministry of Internal Affairs will check income The law provides for the creation of a mechanism to control the income level of foreign citizens.
Tax authorities will transmit information on migrants' income to the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs based on the results of three, six, nine, and twelve months of the calendar year.
The Russian Social Fund, in turn, will send information on the employment activities of foreign citizens.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs will have the right to verify whether a foreigner has income, its amount, and whether the fixed advance payment of personal income tax has been paid. The agency will determine the procedure and timing of such verifications independently.
Temporary residence permits and residence permits may be cancelled due to low income. If the income of a foreign citizen temporarily or permanently residing in Russia within one year from the date of issuance of a temporary residence permit or permanent residence permit is below the subsistence minimum, the relevant documents will be annulled.
Exceptions are provided for full-time students, pensioners, disabled persons, minors, and a number of other categories.
The permit will also not be revoked if a foreign citizen has lost their job but has found a new job within three months and their income meets the established requirements.
When will the new rules come into force? The main provisions of the law will come into force on January 1, 2027.
Requirements requiring foreign citizens to provide themselves and their family members with an income no lower than the subsistence minimum, as well as a mechanism for reducing the length of stay, will take effect on March 1, 2027.
The provisions on the exchange of information between government agencies will come into force 90 days after the official publication of the law.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs will receive new powers In addition, the State Duma adopted a law transferring the authority of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Russia to approve lists of professions for qualified foreign specialists to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs will now determine the categories of specialists eligible for a residence permit under a simplified procedure, as well as employment outside the quotas established by the Ministry of Labor based on applications from Russian regions.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs, in agreement with the Ministry of Labor, also received the right to permit foreign citizens and stateless persons temporarily residing in Russia to work not only in the region where they were issued a permit, but also in other regions of the country.
When making such decisions, economic ties between regions will be taken into account.
