In Russia, a proposal was made to send labor migrants who do not speak Russian to the Arctic
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia proposed exempting foreigners working in the Far East, the Arctic, and other territories of advanced development from the exam on the Russian language, Russian history, and legislation.
In Russia, it has been proposed to send labor migrants who do not speak Russian to the Arctic
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia has proposed exempting foreign employees working in territories of advanced development (TAD) from exams on the Russian language, Russian history, and the fundamentals of legislation.
This, in particular, applies to regions in the Far East and the Arctic. The corresponding draft law was posted on the portal of draft regulatory legal acts.
Under current procedures, foreign citizens must usually prove their knowledge of the Russian language, Russian history, and the fundamentals of legislation by passing an exam when obtaining a work permit. The Ministry of Internal Affairs proposes applying the existing exceptions to this requirement to employees of enterprises that are TAD residents.
According to the Ministry of Economic Development, territories of advanced development are established in single-industry towns, closed administrative-territorial formations, as well as in the Far East and the Arctic zone. In particular, 16 such territories operate in the Far East, and two more are located in the Arctic.
The draft law notes that the proposed measure should facilitate the attraction of investments and accelerate the socio-economic development of these regions.
Earlier, the Russian government expanded the list of exceptions to the requirement to prove knowledge of the Russian language, Russian history, and the fundamentals of legislation. In May 2025, the government submitted a bill to the State Duma on exempting foreigners who received a work permit under a special Cabinet quota from the exam. In July, this document was adopted in its final, third reading.
Exams for foreigners wishing to obtain legal status in Russia have been conducted since 2015. They consist of three modules: Russian (as a foreign language), Russian history, and the fundamentals of Russian legislation. The exam has three levels of difficulty: the easiest is for obtaining a work patent, the second is for issuing a temporary residence permit (TRP), and the third, most complex one is intended for obtaining a residence permit (LPR).