Russian Employment and Work Permit Procedure Update

On July 24th, Russia saw a number of regulations regarding Employment Permits and Work Permits come into force. The applications made to the Employment Center to obtain Employment Center Conclusion had been put on hold, however, in recent weeks the authorities resumed the procedure in accordance with new regulations.

The modifications to the application process are as follows:

• Employers must submit a Work Force Demand (WFD) application to local labor authorities.
• WFD will last for thirty calendar days. The Employer can only apply to the Federal Migration Service (FMS) for Corporate and Personal Work to fill vacancies, only after these thirty days have passed.
• The decision on issuance of the work permits will be made jointly by the FMS and the Federal Labor Authorities.
• If approved, the FMS will issue Corporate and Personal Permits within 28 days of the initial application.
• The remaining procedures are unchanged, for now. It is still necessary to obtain an invitation letter for a Work Visa and apply for the Visa at the Russian Consulate in the home country.
• Corporate and Personal Work Permits will be scrutinized to a greater degree and reasons as to why they can be rejected, suspended or canceled are more clearly defined under the new regulations.

AmCham Russia has made arrangements with authorities for a special 'one-window' service, the Chamber is keeping members abreast of the situation. The above-mentioned Corporate and Personal Work Permits and the Invitation Letter can now be obtained by AmCham members in a single step. AmCham has also advised that the WFD procedure might be completed in concert with the three other steps.