In St. Petersburg, there are plans to review the ban on migrants working in the beauty industry

In Saint Petersburg, a proposal has been made to reconsider the ban on migrant labor in the beauty sector. Business Ombudsman Valery Kalugin intends to appeal to Governor Alexander Beglov with a request to exempt hairdressing salons and beauty parlors from the restrictions. At the same time, about 70% of barbershop masters in the city are citizens of Uzbekistan.

On October 15, the authorities of Saint Petersburg expanded the list of industries where foreigners with work patents are prohibited from working. In addition to taxis and courier delivery, grocery stores, forensic medical examination, fitness clubs, hairdressing salons, and beauty parlors fell under the restrictions. The new rules will come into force on December 1, 2026.

Business Rights Commissioner Valery Kalugin stated that the authorities might not have fully calculated the consequences of the ban for the beauty industry. He intends to appeal to Governor Alexander Beglov requesting to exclude hairdressing salons and beauty parlors from the list of restrictions.

"Industries differ. A taxi driver, a courier, or a scooter rider is one story. But in hairdressing and nail salons, I believe, the decision was not fully thought through," Kalugin noted.

According to him, it is first necessary to study the market situation, understand how many migrants are employed in this sector, and what specific positions they occupy. After that, further decisions can be made.

In turn, Lyalya Sadykova, President of the Association of Beauty Industry Entrepreneurs, reported that about 10,000 migrants work in this sector in St. Petersburg.

The bulk of them work in economy-segment hairdressing salons, where a haircut costs 300–500 rubles. According to Sadykova, approximately 90% of employees in such establishments are natives of Central Asia. In barbershops, about 70% of workers are citizens of Uzbekistan.

At the same time, approximately 70% of the city's beauty services market falls on the economy segment, which is used by a significant portion of townspeople.

The association fears that replacing foreign workers after the introduction of the ban will not be easy. Finding and training new masters before December is virtually impossible: even basic training courses last about six months.

"This is not an industry with a queue of local residents. Masters from St. Petersburg do not go into the economy segment; it is hard labor. Cutting hair for 500 rubles means spending the whole day on your feet," Sadykova explained.

She also stressed that even without new restrictions, the beauty industry faces financial difficulties due to changes in the patent and tax systems.

Note that in Russia, citizens of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Abkhazia, and Georgia are required to obtain a patent. In St. Petersburg, its cost in 2026 is 8,000 rubles. In 2027, it is planned to be raised to 11.6 thousand rubles.

More than half of Uzbek citizens working abroad are located in Russia. The Russian Foreign Ministry called the country the largest labor market for migrants from Central Asia.