Migration Digest: What’s changing for employers and foreign citizens

The summer of 2026 brought several important changes to migration legislation. Legislators continue their commitment to digitalizing migration registration, strengthening oversight of foreign citizens’ stay, and increasing penalties for violations.

We’ll highlight three of the most significant innovations that employers, foreign citizens, and companies that hire foreign employees should take note of right now.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs has approved new notification forms for foreign specialists

Another change will affect employers.

Starting September 1, 2026, new notification forms will come into effect for interactions with the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs regarding the employment of foreign citizens.

The changes concern:

• notifications regarding the conclusion of employment contracts, including those with highly qualified specialists (HQS);
• notifications regarding the termination of employment contracts, including those with HQS;
• notifications regarding the conclusion and termination of civil law contracts;
• reports on the payment of compensation to HQS.

There have been no fundamental changes to the document submission procedure, but the updated forms contain a number of new details.

In particular:

• it is necessary to indicate the term of the agreement or note its indefinite nature;
• A field for the foreign citizen’s TIN will appear in the notification regarding HQS;
• It is recommended to attach consent to the processing of personal data in accordance with approved templates.

Employers should update their internal HR templates and review their automated HR systems in advance.

New rules for foreign citizens undergoing medical examinations

Effective September 1, 2026, new regulations will come into force affecting foreign nationals who work in Russia, apply for a Temporary Residence Permit (TRP), a Permanent Residence Permit (PRP), or other immigration documents that require mandatory medical examinations.

The main purpose of these changes is to ensure the authenticity of medical certificates and to digitize the interaction between government authorities and medical institutions.

Key changes include:

• mandatory medical examinations may only be conducted by specifically authorized medical institutions;
• the list of authorized institutions will be approved at the regional level;
• examination results will be issued exclusively in electronic form;
• examination data will be automatically transmitted to the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), and, where infectious diseases are detected, also to the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor);
• all information will be stored in the Unified State Health Information System (USHIS).

For foreign specialists and applicants for a TRP or PRP, this means that medical documents will be verified directly by government authorities through state information systems, making the use of certificates issued by unauthorized medical institutions impossible.

At the same time, a unified deadline for undergoing medical examinations is introduced:

• within 30 days of entry into Russia;
• annually thereafter.

Liability for Non-Compliance

Foreign nationals who submit inaccurate medical documents or fail to comply with the established requirements may face administrative penalties, including fines of up to RUB 50,000 and, in certain cases, administrative expulsion from the Russian Federation.

Liability for medical institutions and their employees is also being significantly increased for violations related to conducting examinations and issuing medical reports. In addition, criminal liability is introduced for the production, use, and circulation of forged medical documents. The maximum penalty may reach eight years of imprisonment and a fine of up to RUB 3 million.

State duties for foreign citizens will increase significantly

The State authorities adopted a law significantly increasing a number of migration fees.

The most noticeable increase will be the cost of obtaining Russian citizenship.

After the changes come into force, the amount of the state duty will be:

• for acceptance into or renunciation of Russian citizenship – 50,000 rubles instead of 4,200 rubles;
• for registration of a temporary residence permit – 15,000 rubles instead of 1,900 rubles;
• for obtaining a residence permit – 30,000 rubles instead of 6,000 rubles;
• for an educational residence permit – 8,000 rubles;
• for issuing an entry invitation – 8,000 rubles for each invited foreigner;
• for multiple crossings of the state border – 6,000 rubles;
• for processing a visa for exit and subsequent entry – 2,000 rubles.

Benefits remain for some categories

Increased duties will not apply to foreign citizens recognized as being of interest to the Russian Federation in accordance with Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 883.

Benefits are also retained for certain categories of individuals who qualify for special mechanisms for obtaining citizenship and residence permits.

What does this mean for business?

All three innovations share a common trend in recent years: strengthening government control over migration processes and maximizing digitalization of interactions between agencies.

Employers are already advised to:

• check HR procedures for working with foreign employees;
• prepare for the transition to new forms of notifications from the Ministry of Internal Affairs;
• take into account the upcoming increase in costs for processing migration documents;
• Inform foreign workers about new medical examination requirements.

For foreign citizens, the changes mean that they must adhere more closely to immigration procedures, as opportunities to correct errors and circumvent legal requirements become increasingly limited.

We continue to monitor developments in immigration legislation and will provide information on new changes as they are adopted.