New Laws: Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs to Verify Migrant Income

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation has prepared new regulations for verifying migrant income.

According to Russian media reports, under the new requirements, if tax authorities do not provide information on migrant income or if the income amount falls below a certain threshold, the Ministry of Internal Affairs may initiate an inspection.

The foreign national, as well as their employer or client, must be informed electronically about the start of the inspection. The migrant will have three days to provide information or documents confirming their income. The inspection itself should not last more than 30 working days. Migration authorities may request additional information from other state bodies and agencies.

Following the inspection, the Ministry of Internal Affairs will issue a decision on whether the absence or insufficiency of income is confirmed or not. The migrant and their employer will be informed of the inspection results within 1 working day.

It is important to note that, according to the new laws, starting from October 1, 2026, Russian tax authorities will send information to the Ministry of Internal Affairs regarding the income of foreign nationals for three, six, nine, and twelve months of the calendar year. However, the main requirements related to the volume of income for foreign nationals will come into effect on January 1, 2027.

According to the new federal laws, the income of a foreign national must be sufficient to support themselves and all minor dependents, and must not be below the established minimum, taking into account the regional coefficient.

If there is no information about a citizen’s income or if their income is below the established norms, this may lead to the annulment of their patent or a refusal to issue a new one.

The law also provides for exceptions in certain cases, including when obtaining the first patent, and in other circumstances.