Russia’s Ministry of Finance has reportedly proposed introducing new fees for migrant workers in addition to existing fees for a variety of migration-related bureaucratic hurdles. It’s yet another policy shift that increases pressure, this time financial, on migrant workers.
As reported by Vedomosti, amendments to the law on the legal status of foreigners in Russia that are under consideration would significantly expand the list of fees to be paid by foreigners. The amendments will go into effect in September 2025 if approved before the Duma breaks on July 11.
At present, fees are already required for a variety of migration-related documents and processes, including issuing both temporary and permanent residence permits, permits to employ foreigner workers, registration of foreigners, and to invite a foreigner to Russia.
According to Vedomosti, the ministry proposes adding fees for extending work permits and issuing duplicate permits, as well as for issuing duplicate permits to employ and use foreign workers. In addition, foreigners would be required to pay to register at their place of stay:
To register a foreigner or stateless person at the place of stay, you will have to pay 500 rubles, and to extend the period of temporary stay – 1,000 rubles. To issue a patent and extend the validity of work permits, you will have to pay 4,200 rubles per service. Issuing duplicate work permits, patents, and permits to attract and use foreign workers will cost 2,100 rubles per service.
It is planned to increase the state duty for registering a foreigner at the place of residence from 420 to 1,000 rubles. The measures are aimed at “strengthening control over the stay of foreign citizens” in Russia, according to the explanatory notes to the bills.
Last month, Interfax reported that at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), the head of the Main Directorate for Migration Issues (GUVM) of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, Valentina Kazakova, said that in 2024, the Russian budget received nearly 124 billion rubles ($1.6 billion) from personal income taxes paid when foreigners purchase work permits. Kazakova went on to note that in the first five months of 2025, the Russian budget had already received 63 billion rubles from work permit sales.
And that was before the Ministry of Finance proposed additional fees and the expansion of existing fees.
Although Russian media and authorities have not expanded on specifically who – foreigners from where – are paying these fees, it’s well-known that the most significant proportion of migrant workers in Russia hail from Central Asia.
Last month, Kulobiddin Norov reported for The Diplomat that the Russian parliament had enacted a new law mandating geolocation tracking for all foreigners in Moscow and the Moscow region starting on September 1, 2025. In addition, new pre-entry requirements are being introduced for visa-free travelers, such as those from much of Central Asia.
Norov noted that:
According to data from the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, labor migration from Central Asia reached a five-year high in 2022, with up to a million Kyrgyz, 3.5 million Tajiks, and 5.8 million Uzbeks entering Russia with the intention to work (some individuals may have been counted multiple times in these figures, as they reflect the total number of registered border crossings).
In its report about the new fee proposals, Vedomosti quoted an executive from a Russian recruiting company who argued that “some market participants – for example, citizens of neighboring countries, small companies or unofficial intermediaries – may refuse legal procedures and continue to operate outside the legal field.” In other words: some migrants and companies, instead of paying additional fees to register themselves or their foreign workers, will simply not do so, and operate illegally. This will, of course, expose them to possible state punishment if caught.
