Vladimir Putin signed Federal Law On Amendments to Federal Law On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation.
The Federal Law provides for the issuance of a residence permit without limitation of validity to highly qualified specialists who have been working in the Russian Federation for at least two years in this capacity, and to members of their family, provided that they live on a residence permit obtained in accordance with Article 132 of the Federal Law On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation.
According to the Federal Law, the Government of the Russian Federation designates a federal executive body authorised to assess whether a foreign citizen, who has invested in the Russian Federation, meets the criteria for issuing them a residence permit in the Russian Federation without obtaining a temporary residence permit.
The provisions are clarified regarding the procedure for highly qualified specialists and members of their family to pass a medical examination determining whether or not they have used narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances, or new potentially dangerous psychoactive substances, without a doctor’s prescription, the presence or absence of infectious diseases that pose a danger to others and are included in the list approved by a federal executive body, authorised by the Government of the Russian Federation, or the disease caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), as well as the provisions related to the issuance of a work permit to highly qualified specialists, their departure and that of their family members from the Russian Federation in case they do not conclude a new employment or civil contract for works (rendering of services) or if the application of the employer or the customer of works (services) to attract this highly qualified specialist is rejected.
A salary of at least 750,000 rubles per quarter is established for highly qualified specialists that do not fall into the category of specialists listed in para. 1 of Article 132 of the Federal Law On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation.
A foreign citizen who has entered into a contract for military service in the Russian Federation Armed Forces or military formations during the period of the special military operation, for a period of one year, and members of their family, are provided with a residence permit without obtaining a temporary residence permit, even in the event of the death of the foreign citizen. Additionally, in the event of early dismissal of such foreign citizen from military service on the grounds provided for by the Federal Law On Military Duty and Military Service, a residence permit is not issued to them or their family members, and the previously issued residence permit is cancelled. Also, the Federal Law establishes the procedure for informing the local office of a federal agency for internal affairs about the facts of early dismissal of such foreign citizens from military service.
The Federal Law specifies the procedure for notifying the local office of a federal agency that issued a licence about the performance of labour activity by a foreign citizen who has received this licence.
The Federal Law stipulates the responsibility of an educational or scientific institution, where a foreign citizen is studying, to notify the local body of a federal agency for internal affairs or a regional agency about a study leave taken by a foreign citizen or about the completion or early termination of studies by a foreign citizen within three working days from the date of issuance of an administrative act on granting them study leave or on their dismissal.
Source – The Russian Kremlin: http://en.kremlin.ru/acts/news/71645