Reports suggest foreigners will have to obtain registration through their landlords - without the option of registering through an employer.
This could lead to even higher rents than usual for expats.
The Moscow News newspaper called it “Chaos for expats”. The opponents of this policy suggest that foreign specialists could face discrimination in housing because landlords would not want to take the added responsibility that will come with having a foreigner on their premises.
Landlords will also be more likely to raise the rents for those expats they already have as tenants, because most of the landlords in Russia prefer not to disclose rental agreements, thus avoiding taxes.
The business community is already blasting this new immigration policy.No matter that companies will no longer be able to register these employees, they will still assume the penalties if an expat fails to register on time
However, the migration services say the change is not going to be as bad as anticipated. For instance, those foreign workers who make over USD$ 68,000 a year will be exempt from this registration policy: they will have up to 90 days to register and will receive tax benefits, too.
Another positive change is expats’ families will be able to join their loved ones in the country on easier terms.The list of family members who can move to Russia with the foreign specialist now includes the expat and his or her spouse’s grandparents.
Also, expats will receive a residence permit for the entire time of their working agreement, or a 3-year working visa.
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