One Third Of Russian Regions Have Restricted The Work Of Migrant Workers
- 16.02.2026, 20:44
Restrictions apply to delivery, cab, retail and other types of employment.
Rostov region authorities have banned foreign citizens from working as couriers, as well as sellers of food, beverages and tobacco products, according to a decree by the region's governor Yuri Slyusar published on the legal information portal. The restrictions will be in effect from April 1 to December 31, 2026. In addition, from March 1, foreign citizens will be banned from trading in precious metals and participating in the activities of fitness centers. According to lawyer Svetlana Leusova, the ban will affect only those migrants who work under patents. Citizens of Azerbaijan, Moldova, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are obliged to obtain them.
To date, no less than 32 subjects of the Russian Federation, including St. Petersburg, have introduced such restrictions. In different regions they apply to delivery, cab, trade and other types of employment.
At the beginning of the year "Vedomosti" reported that in all regions of Russia, with the exception of the capital region and the annexed territories of Ukraine, it is planned to limit the hiring of migrant workers. Foreign citizens and stateless persons will only be able to be recruited through an organized recruitment mechanism under the control of the Interior Ministry. The experiment will last from 2027 to 2029 inclusive. As part of the reform, it is planned to create a register of foreign workers (RIR) and a register of employers willing to hire workers from abroad. The Russian government will annually set the permissible share of foreign workers in the regions. Hiring bypassing the organized recruitment will be prohibited.
For each migrant worker in the budget of the subject of the Russian Federation will receive a monthly advance payment of personal income tax in the amount of 1.2 thousand rubles. Additional charges are provided for in case of residence in Russia of the migrant's relatives who are his dependents. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, annual budget revenues from the recruitment of migrant workers may amount to about 22 billion rubles. The law will come into force on January 1, 2027.