Russia has enacted a legislative amendment introducing new and strict rules for foreign migrants working in the country. The regulation, adopted by the State Duma, requires the state to track migrants' incomes and mandates that they meet a certain subsistence level.
Under the new law, foreigners with a work permit or patent must prove they can support themselves and their family members living in Russia at a level not below the subsistence minimum, calculated taking into account the regional coefficient. Those who fail to meet this requirement will not have their work permits extended and will have to leave the Russian Federation together with their families.
The regulation also clarifies the status of migrant children. Children will now be allowed to stay in the country only for the duration of their parents' valid work permit. The advance payment of income tax required for this permit is also mandatory. When children turn 18, they will have to leave Russia or apply for a work patent in their own name.
State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin stated that the new legal framework would enable relevant agencies, primarily the Interior Ministry, to implement migration policy more effectively. Volodin announced that 30 federal laws have been adopted in the field of immigration since 2024 and that work in this direction will continue.
Experts note that the law's target group is not only patent workers from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The regulation, which also covers all other foreigners working with a standard work permit, could affect not only workers from the main target countries of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan, but also individuals from countries such as Europe and Turkey who hold work permits.
