Construction has been identified as the main employment sector for foreign workers in Nizhny Novgorod Region, while most foreign nationals employed in the region’s economy arrive from Central and South Asia. The news does not introduce new employment rules, but it shows a high concentration of foreign workers in the industry. For developers, general contractors, subcontractors, and recruitment agencies, this means the need to establish a manageable hiring and document-control process in advance.
Why the employment structure matters for the construction business
When foreign workers are concentrated primarily on construction sites, staffing becomes part of production planning. It is not enough to determine the required number of crews: the company needs to understand exactly who will be allowed onto the site, on what grounds, and who is responsible for verifying the information. This is particularly important when several contracting organizations are working simultaneously.
The high proportion of foreign nationals arriving from Central and South Asia does not in itself change the hiring requirements. However, it makes regular monitoring a more practical task for the industry. An error in processing a single worker can result in that worker being suspended, which at a worksite can affect shift staffing and the completion of work.
Plan staffing before workers enter the site
The need for foreign workers should be assessed before work begins, rather than after the crew has already been formed. The employer needs to allow time in advance for processing work authorization documents and checking the grounds for employment. The reviewed material does not establish any specific new deadlines, so this publication cannot be treated as the basis for a separate calendar requirement.
As a practical measure, it is useful to maintain a single register of all foreign workers present at the site. It should include not only the company’s employees but also contractors’ personnel. This approach helps compare the actual composition of crews with the documents submitted and prevents loss of control when people, contractors, or positions are changed.
What to monitor in the HR process
Before allowing workers to begin work, check the passport, migration card (the document issued to a foreign national upon entry into Russia), migration registration (Russia’s official registration of a foreign national’s place of stay), and the document confirming the right to work, if the specific worker is required to have one. It is also necessary to verify that the actual place and nature of the work correspond to the region of validity and occupation specified in the work authorization documents.
The check should not be a one-time procedure at the point of entry. The employer can set internal reminders for document expiry dates and repeat the check when documents are renewed or replaced, or when the position, place of work, or contractor changes. Separately, verify whether the mandatory notifications of the conclusion and termination of employment contracts have been submitted.
How to reduce risks when working through contractors
At construction sites, foreign workers are often engaged not directly but through contracting organizations. This does not eliminate the company’s need to see the actual situation at the site. If contractors cannot confirm that their workers have been engaged lawfully, the client may face an HR problem during the performance of the work.
It is advisable to state in the contract with the contractor that it must confirm the lawful engagement of foreign workers and provide documents upon request. This makes it possible to establish the procedure for cooperation in advance, rather than collecting information during an inspection or after a discrepancy has been identified. The material does not specify the form of such confirmations, so it should be defined in the company’s contractual and internal documentation.
Monitoring as protection for the schedule and site management
A lack of monitoring creates the risk of allowing a worker to begin work without a valid legal basis for employment. The consequences may include claims during inspections, the suspension of workers, and disruptions to the organization of work. This is not about new rules, but about applying the existing migration and employment requirements to an employment model common in the region.
For a construction manager and the HR department, a single process is useful: planning the staffing requirement, preliminary checks, site access, monitoring document expiry dates, and checking contractors. It distributes responsibility among the participants in the process and helps prevent HR control from being replaced by verbal assurances from a crew leader or external contractor.
What to check
- Create a register of the company’s foreign workers and contractors’ personnel at each site.
- Check the passport, migration card, migration registration, and right to work, if the worker is required to have one.
- Compare the region of validity and occupation stated in the work authorization documents with the actual work.
- Check the mandatory notifications concerning concluded and terminated employment contracts.
- Set reminders for document expiry dates and repeat the check when changes occur.
- State in contracts with contractors that they must confirm the lawful engagement of their personnel.