The new laws simplify immigration procedures for foreign citizens and the rules for their employment in Russia. Foreign citizens who do not need a visa to enter Russia can now obtain a temporary residency permit not subject to quotas on the basis of an application with the necessary documents to be presented according to the set procedure within the following month. Foreign citizens with permanent or temporary residence status in Russia are exempted from having to re-register each year.
Foreign citizens who do not require an entry visa for Russia can now independently obtain a work permit within ten days of making an application. Employers can hire this category of foreign workers without having to obtain permission to hire and employ foreign workers.
As well as simplifying immigration procedures for foreign citizens the new law provides for improved mechanisms for state regulation of immigration. In particular, the foreign labour quota mechanism is improved so as to take into account not only the quantitative but also qualitative (profession, qualification) characteristics of foreign workers in Russia and regulate immigration flows at federal and regional level.
The new law also aims at establishing a new administrative-legal mechanism for keeping count of foreign citizens and stateless persons living (present) in Russia. In particular, the law aims at simplifying the system for registering foreign citizens and stateless persons at their place of residence or the place where they are staying in Russia.
The new immigration control system is an important condition for attracting qualified foreign workers to Russia, including from the Commonwealth of Independent States. The law removes excessive administrative barriers in the way of specialists most needed on the Russian labour market. The state authorities, for their part, will be able to obtain more accurate statistical data on the presence of foreign citizens and stateless persons in Russia and this will create new opportunities for achieving a healthier immigration and demographic situation.
The implementation of the new laws will make it possible to manage immigration more effectively, reduce illegal immigration and at the same time will considerably raise the level of constitutional and legal guarantees of the rights of Russians from abroad and other categories of foreigners wishing to live and work in Russia.