Duration of terms of foreign nationals’ temporary stay in Russia extended once again
The President of Russia signed on June 15, 2020 a decree that extends until September 15, 2020 the validity term of temporary stay or permanent residence of foreign nationals and stateless persons in Russia if they expire before that date.
The validity term of the following documents are suspended until September 15, 2020:
- Visa;
- Temporary residence permit, residence permit;
- Immigration card;
- Migration registration;
- Refugee certificate, certificate of consideration of application for refugee status, temporary asylum certificate;
- Certificate of participation in state program.
The abovementioned decree, however, does not suspend the validity terms of work permits, patents and permissions to hire foreign nationals.
From June 16, 2020 those foreign nationals whose visa, temporary residence permit or residence permit expires from March 15 to September 15 will be entitled to stay in Russia, and their migration documents will be automatically renewed and remain valid for 6 months starting from the date of these documents expire.
However, foreign nationals who need a visa to be in Russia currently need a valid work permit to be hired in Russia, while foreign nationals who do not need a visa to work in Russia must have a valid patent. The validity term of these documents has been automatically extended if it expired in the period from March 15 to June 15, 2020. In such case, these documents will be deemed valid for 93 days from their expiration date. For more detailed information, please read our previous newsletter on this subject.
The abovementioned presidential decree provides that from June 16, 2020 to September 15, 2020:
- Employers who already have permission to hire foreign nationals and comply with sanitary requirements are entitled to apply for work permits for foreign nationals who need a visa to be in Russia. Such work permits will be issued (renewed) regardless of the requirements for the entry purpose (e.g. the work permit will be issued even if a foreign nations arrived to Russia based on tourist visa).
- Foreign nationals from “visa-free” countries, i.e. who do not need a visa to be in Russia, are entitled to apply for issuance (extension, re-issuance) of patents regardless of the deadlines for submitting documents and visit purpose requirements.
The presidential decree does not directly regulate the work permits for highly qualified specialists, so they are subject to the general rule, and employers are entitled to apply for work permits for those employees only if they have a permission to hire foreign nationals. If employers have no permission to hire foreign nationals, migration authorities will not for the time being accept documents for new work permits.
If you would like more detailed information about the current migration regulation and migration authorities, please do not hesitate to contact us.
If you have any questions or you would like to discuss this further, please feel free to email Julia Talagaeva or Mika Kokkonen.
Truly yours,