Highly Qualified Specialist Applications No Longer Accepted at Head Migration Office

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At a Glance

• The Moscow Head Migration Office will no longer accept Highly Qualified Specialist work permit applications, requiring affected applicants to file such applications in regional migration offices, which are located more remotely.
• Affected employers and employees should plan for more travel time and potentially longer waiting times for approval of applications during a transition period.

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The situation

The Moscow Head Migration Office will no longer accept Highly Qualified Specialist (HQS) work permit applications, requiring affected applicants to file such applications in regional migration offices, which are located more remotely.

A closer look

• Affected applicants. Previously, employers who were members of the Association of European Business, the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia, and the Russo-German and Franco-Russian chambers of commerce, among others, could apply for HQS work permits at the Head Migration Office.
• Regional migration offices. Affected employers must now submit these applications at a regional migration office, for example those located in Sakharovo (60 kilometers from central Moscow) or in Greenwood Business Centre close to Khimki (known as Greenwood, 25 kilometers from central Moscow).
• Unaffected processes. Employers can continue to submit work permit corrections and quarterly salary notifications at the Head Migration Office. 

 

Impact

Affected employers and employees should plan for more travel time and potentially longer wait times for application approval during the transition period.

Background

Russian authorities have been updating the immigration system over the past years, including changes to the residence registration process and new obligations for inviting companies. These changes seek to improve compliance and oversight through stricter administrative obligations.

Looking ahead

This change demonstrates the Head Migration Office’s growing duties as a regulatory body as opposed to an application processing center, though there are speculations that business associations are seeking to change this.

Russian authorities are expected to continue revising administrative aspects of the immigration process, whereas the substantive aspects of the process have remained unchanged for several years.

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].