Those who do not work shall pay
Starting from 2027, there are plans to charge working migrants in Russia a tax for non-working family members
Those who do not work will pay
Starting January 1, 2027, foreign citizens working in Russia will begin paying a tax for each unemployed family member residing with them in the country. This was announced during a meeting with President Vladimir Putin by Andrey Kikot, First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation and head of the service for citizenship and registration of foreigners.
As Kikot explained, this decision is linked to the state migration policy, which aims to reduce the number of non-working relatives of migrants living in Russia.
According to him, the situation was also influenced by new rules for admitting children of foreign citizens to Russian schools. Following the introduction of the requirements established by the government, the number of non-working migrant family members decreased by approximately 20% from the initial 1.7 million people.
Renat Karimov, Chairman of the Migrant Workers' Union, stated that the introduction of additional taxes for foreign citizens working in Russia could significantly reduce the number of their relatives living in the country. In his opinion, "the new fiscal rules will divide foreign workers by income level. Those citizens who receive high wages will be able to afford to support their loved ones under the increased tax burden. The rest will have to send their families back home. Such a measure may well reduce the number of migrants in the country. I think that is exactly what it is aimed at. Those who can support their family members and have the corresponding income will stay. Those who do not have such income will be forced to send their families back home."
In addition, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation is developing a new system for the organized recruitment of foreign workers. Currently, the corresponding draft law is undergoing approval in the government.
According to the plan, a Russian company will first submit an application to the migration service for the required number of employees. After that, a special operator will select workers abroad and organize their arrival in Russia.
Upon the expiration of the employment contract, the foreign worker will have to return to their country. At the same time, large and medium-sized companies that use this system will be obliged to provide employees with housing and organize their transportation to the workplace.