A New Approach to Migration Policy: The State Duma Proposes Abolishing Work Permits for Low-Skilled Migrants

As part of the migration policy reform, a group of deputies in the State Duma of Russia presented a package of bills aimed at simplifying the process of recruiting foreign labor. One of the key proposals is to abolish work permits for low-skilled migrant workers, which could significantly change the existing system.
The main idea is to create an organized system for recruiting foreign workers, which would make it possible to monitor their stay in the country more effectively.

Here are the proposals in brief:

1️⃣Limit on length of stay: low-skilled foreign workers must leave Russia when their employment contract expires.

2️⃣Funding for return travel: the employer must fund the foreign worker’s return, including deportation, through a deposit or bank guarantee.

3️⃣Ban on obtaining residence permits and citizenship: low-skilled workers recruited through the organized recruitment system cannot obtain a residence permit or citizenship of the Russian Federation.

4️⃣Ban on family members entering the country: family members and close relatives of foreign workers may not enter Russia.

5️⃣Ban on changing employers: workers in Russia through organized recruitment may not change employers and must leave the country if their contract is terminated early.

6️⃣Employer’s financial liability: all costs related to foreign workers’ stay in Russia (migration registration, documents, housing, medical services) are borne by the employer.

The authors of the bill emphasize the need to raise the standards for checking migrants’ knowledge of Russian and to impose stricter requirements for conducting exams. This will make it possible to prevent cases of certificates of Russian-language proficiency being obtained illegally.

Thus, the proposed changes could be an important step toward a more orderly and secure migration policy, ensuring protection for both the state and foreign workers themselves.