Federation Council approves bill to simplify employment of foreign IT specialists in Russia

MOSCOW. June 22 (Interfax) - The Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian parliament, has approved a bill simplifying the employment procedure for foreign IT specialists in Russia and the procedure for them and their family members to receive residence permits in Russia.

"The goal of this legislation is to simplify the employment procedure for foreign citizens who are specialists in the field of information technologies and are hired by accredited organizations that act in the field of information technologies, as well as to simplify the procedure for these citizens and their family members to receive residence permits in the Russian Federation," an explanatory note to the bill said.

For instance, the bill envisages fast-track issuance of residence permits, bypassing the temporary residence stage. The rule, which allows employment exclusively on the basis of a work permit or a patent, will not apply in this case, while employers will not need permission to recruit and use the services of such foreign workers.

At the same time, residence permits may be revoked whenever specialists terminate their labor contract and do not enter into a new labor contract with a similar entity within 30 days. Families will also lose residence permits in this case.