In order to work in the Russian Federation a foreign citizen requires a work permit as well as a valid visa. At the same time, the company, as an employer, must obtain authorization to employ foreign employees, which must be issued by the Federal Migration Service. On the basis of this authorization, an invitation can be issued to the foreign employee. There are two different ways of obtaining a work visa for Russia, both of which coincide with applying for and issuing a valid work permit:
Ordinary work permit and visa, which is valid always only for one year and can be renewed. The process is costly and time-consuming and lasts approximately 3-6 months. An invitation for a work visa is only issued if you have obtained a work permit. The invitation, on the other hand, for a business visa is issued to allow the foreign employee to travel to Russia for a short period for work purposes, but it is not possible to work with this type of visa.
Work permit and visa for Highly Qualified Specialists (HQS) which is vastly popular among expats. This permit is valid for up to three years and can be renewed with little problem. It takes about 1-2 months to obtain this type of permission. The main condition for obtaining this type of visa is that the salary must exceed 167,000 thousand rubles per month. In this case, the invitation is issued in parallel with the work visa.
The status of a Highly Qualified Specialists (HQS) provides considerable advantages over the ordinary work visa, contact us for more information.