Monday 21 June 2010
Friday 3 July 2009
Russian Immigration Law - New Developments
Over the past year, there have been numerous notable changes in the immigration laws of the Russian Federation that may assist employers in securing work visas for foreign employees. Asma Bashir, of specialist immigration firm Newland Chase, examines the issues.
Taking Moscow as an example, until July 2008 employers had to go through a lengthy process involving the acquisition of separate approvals from the Moscow Department of Federal Employment Service, the Federal Migration Service (FMS) and the Territorial Employment Service. However, new procedures implemented in July 2008 have streamlined the application process.
Under the current procedure, the local labour department must undertake a search for a qualified Russian to fill the position. If an able and qualified Russian cannot be found, the employer may proceed to apply for an official work visa invitation letter at the FMS. Once the letter is obtained, the foreign employee may apply for an appropriate work visa at a consulate.
Read the full article - Russian Immigration Law New Developments
Russian Immigration Explained - Part 3
In the final part of a three-part article, Sophy King, of immigration consultancy Emigra Inc's Consulting and Compliance department, provides guidance on negotiating Russia's complex immigration system.
How have companies approached the issues discussed in part two of this article in the past? Despite the proliferation of stories about Russian immigration in the press, and the perception of constant changes and developments, the basic regulations have remained unaltered for some time. One approach taken has been to bring employees to Russia on business visas. Until relatively recently, it was possible for foreigners to apply for business visas that were valid for 365 days a year – effectively allowing them to reside long term in Russia on business visitor status. Individuals holding such visas were never legally permitted to work in Russia, but, in practice, such activity was common. In October 2007, the regulations were changed, and business visas are now issued for a maximum stay of 90 days out of 180, in line with most European countries. In practice, visas are often issued with an even shorter validity period, especially where the applicant has never had a visa for the Russian Federation before. Onsite audits and penalties for employing foreigners without permits have also increased, meaning that the old practice of bringing in expatriates with business visas alone is increasingly falling by the wayside. However, as foreign companies seek to regularise the status of existing expatriates and bring new employees in legally, they encounter the problems already described in detail above.
What should they be doing? It is possible to cope with the immigration process and to stay sane while negotiating through it. After all, even Dostoevsky wrote, "To live without hope is to cease to live." Below is our advice on how to keep your head when entering the tangled world of Russian immigration.
Read the full article - Russian Immigration Explained - Part 3
Russian Immigration - Part 2
In part two of a three-part article, Sophy King, of immigration consultancy Emigra Inc's Consulting and Compliance department, looks at the immigration problems commonly encountered by multinational companies investing in Russia.
The basic immigration process for most foreign employees* working at a Russian entity (rather than a representative office, for example) is as follows:
1) Labour forecast
2) Company work permit (corporate quota)
3) Personal work permit (individual credit-card-sized document)
4) Work visa and dependant visa invitations
5) Work visa and dependant visa applications (at Russian embassy in home country)
6) Post arrival: registration, extension of visa and conversion of visa to multiple entry
7) Notification of contract to Labour Office and Inspectorate (within 30 days of commencement of work)
8) Ongoing notifications of entry and exit
It's a multiple-step process, which brings us to our first commonly-encountered problem:
Read the full article Russian Immigration Explained Part 2
Russian Immigration - Part 1
In part one of a three-part article, Sophy King, of immigration consultancy Emigra Inc's Consulting and Compliance department, looks at why Russia is on the up as a global relocation destination despite its complex immigration processes.
Russia, renowned for its complexity and impenetrability, presents many faces to the world. It is a country people fall in love with, a fascinating place to live and work in, but, for many Western companies, deciphering the relevant laws and regulations involved in doing business can be a nightmare. Russia was ranked 120 (out of 181 countries) in Doing Business in 2009, a report which ranks economies worldwide for their ease of doing business, and which is issued jointly by the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation. Nowhere is this difficulty more evident than in the convoluted, and often contradictory, immigration system. Russian immigration has been particularly hot news in recent months, with several changes discussed and protectionist reactions reported to the global financial crisis.
Full article and further information on Russian Immigration and, indeed working in Russia
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