New Migration Policy: What May Change for Foreign Workers in 2026
The Ministry of Finance has submitted a package of systemic amendments to the Government, which fundamentally alters the rules for the stay and employment of foreign citizens in Russia. The changes affect both rank-and-file labor migrants and Highly Qualified Specialists (HQS).
The draft laws have not yet been published; only a few publications, such as Vedomosti, have so far gained access to them. The proposed effective dates for their implementation are also not yet known.
Salary Threshold for HQS
The most controversial change concerns highly qualified specialists. Currently, the minimum salary threshold for this category is RUR 250,000 per month (this increase from RUR 167,000 per month was established on March 1, 2024). The Ministry of Finance proposes to raise it almost threefold — to RUR 717,000 per month for most categories. For medical, pedagogical, and scientific workers, the bar is set at RUR 358,500 rubles.
However, such a sharp increase creates a fundamentally different entry threshold: the status of a highly qualified specialist will become accessible only to a narrow circle of top managers and unique professionals, especially in the regions of Russia. Foreign workers planning long-term stays in the country with their families will have to either significantly increase their income or reconsider their plans.
Companies that have spent decades building connections with foreign specialists, investing in their relocation and adaptation, will face a choice: either transfer employees to less convenient visa regimes with shorter work periods and a complicated procedure on family entry, or abandon the attraction of foreign talent altogether.
The proposed amendments have been met with surprise by business communities, especially considering that Russia is currently in dire need of additional labor resources against a backdrop of record-low unemployment and demographic decline.
Increased Tax Burden for Foreigners with Patents
In addition to tightening the salary requirements for highly qualified foreign specialists, the amendments introduce a new rule for foreigners working under patents (special work permits for employees from visa-free states). Employees will now have to make fixed advance personal income tax (PIT) payments not only for themselves, but also for each of their minor children residing in Russia. The amount of the additional payment will be 50% of the base advance payment amount for each child. Upon reaching the age of 18, children of foreign workers will have to either obtain their own patent independently and start working, or leave the country. A work patent will not be issued or renewed if the tax service lacks data on the foreigner's income, or if the employee's income per capita, including each family member, is less than the regional subsistence minimum.
Legal residence in Russia now requires not merely having a job, but a stable income not lower than the subsistence minimum for each family member.
The new requirements are consistent with the Concept of the State Migration Policy for 2026–2030. The state is consistently moving towards a model where only foreigners with confirmed legal income who pay their taxes properly remain in the country.
