From March 1, 2024, the salary requirement for highly qualified foreign specialists (HQS) is changing: instead of 167,000 rubles per month, the value is set at 750,000 rubles (before taxation) per quarter (250,000 rubles per month or 3,000,000 rubles per year).

There are few exceptions: they mainly concern medical, pedagogical and scientific workers, as well as foreign specialists invited to work in special territories and centers (for example, Skolkovo or Sirius). A more detailed list and conditions can be found here.

About the first quarter of 2024

To meet the statutory requirements for the first quarter of 2024, the HQS salary amount should either be raised from January 2024 or you should pay the difference in March 2024. For example, in January and February, you pay HQS at the old rate (167,000 ₽ per month). So, in March, your HQS salary should be at least 416,000 ₽ (750,000 ₽ – 167,000 ₽ – 167,000 ₽).

What to do if an employer wants to keep a foreign specialist in the company, but does not plan to raise wages to the new minimum

In this case, the company needs to carry out the registration of permits in advance according to the “standard procedure”, that is, employment under the standard annual work permit (AWP).

Special features of the transition to a standard work permit for a former HQS

In order to replace the status of HQS with that of an employee with a regular AWP, the employer must first terminate the employment contract with the HQS employee. Then the foreigner will have to leave Russia and re-enter under a new invitation from the employer.

What not to forget:

1. The HQS work permit and work visa are cancelled 30 working days and 30 calendar days after dismissal. During this time, the foreign citizen and their family members must leave the territory of the Russian Federation.
2. The foreigner needs to travel not just to a neighboring country, but to their country of citizenship or to a country where the foreigner has the right of permanent residence.
3. After dismissal of the HQS, the employer must send a notification to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
4. If the position of the highly qualified specialist is not in the list of non-quota professions (the list can be downloaded here), then the company will have to process a quota for the foreign citizen. It’s not fast, so plan ahead.

Our contacts

Please contact us in case if you have any question on salary requirements for highly qualified foreign specialists.

info@awaragroup.com

+7 495 225-30-38 Moscow
+7 812 244-75-49 Saint Petersburg
+7 495 225-30-38 Tver