New restrictions for migrants will be introduced in Russia

The Russian government has decided to introduce new regulations to control the activities of labor migrants. This was reported by Zamin.uz.

These requirements will come into effect starting from 2026 and envisage a significant reduction in the share of migrants in certain sectors. According to the new rules, the employment of labor migrants in some service and trade sectors will be completely prohibited.

In particular, foreign citizens will not be allowed to work in pharmacies, markets, mobile trading points, as well as in the sale of alcohol and tobacco products. Additionally, the share of migrants in certain industries will be sharply limited.

For example, in the passenger and cargo transportation sector, the share of labor migrants should not exceed 24 percent. In the construction sector, this figure will be reduced from the previous 80 percent to 50 percent.

In vegetable growing and forestry, the share of migrants will decrease from 50 percent to 40 percent. If enterprises hire workers exceeding the established quotas, they will be forced to terminate labor contracts.

Violations of these requirements will lead to serious fines. For instance, officials may be fined 45–50 thousand rubles.

For enterprises, fines can range from 800 thousand rubles to 1 million rubles, or their activities may be suspended for a period from 14 to 90 days. According to experts, these changes will increase competition in the Russian labor market but may cause a shortage of workforce in some sectors.

The new regulations will require an additional adaptation period for migrants and employers. In conclusion, starting from 2026, conditions for labor migrants in Russia will become considerably more complicated, and adapting to the new rules will become a primary task.