The law establishes more favourable terms and conditions for entry into and residence within Russia for highly-qualified foreign specialists and their families.
The law provides for a more liberal and simplified procedure for granting and extending work visas to family members of highly-qualified foreign specialists.
The residence permit will be issued to a highly-qualified specialist for the duration of his or her work permit. Foreign nationals and their family members are exempt from the obligation to register with the Migration Service.
Federal Law On the Procedure for the Exit from the Russian Federation and Entry into the Russian Federation has been supplemented with a provision granting permission to subsidiaries of foreign companies to issue invitations for highly-qualified specialists to enter Russia.
The law expands the list of categories of foreign nationals who do not need a work permit, as well as a list of agencies and organisations that are entitled to invite foreign experts to do research or teach in Russia without a need to solicit a work permit.
The Federal Law does not allow organisations to bring in highly-qualified foreign specialists to engage in religious activities and limits the employment of foreign nationals for customer servicing in retail trade.