As of November 6, 2026, the expulsion regime, a migration-control procedure, is mentioned in a report by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia (MVD), the federal agency responsible for migration oversight, on an inspection of employers: expulsion decisions were made concerning three foreign nationals who were unlawfully staying in the country. For businesses, the key issues were work patents, the occupations listed in them, and employment contracts.
Fines exceeding 2 million rubles linked to hiring 16 foreign nationals
According to MVD, 16 foreign nationals hired to work by businesses were identified at a production facility in Nizhny Novgorod Region. The total amount of fines imposed on these businesses exceeded 2 million rubles.
For an employer, this case shows that an inspection may cover not just one personnel document but the entire actual process of hiring a foreign national. According to MVD, one incident simultaneously involved some workers having no work patents, work outside the occupation specified in the patent, and no employment contracts.
The patent and the actual occupation require separate verification
According to MVD, foreign nationals without work patents were working at the facility. In addition, some foreign workers were performing work in occupations that were not specified in their patents.
It is advisable for an employer to conduct checks in two areas: first, confirm that a specific worker has a work patent when one is required, and then compare the information in the patent with the work the person actually performs. This approach follows from the circumstances recorded by MVD in Nizhny Novgorod Region.
According to MVD, the difference between the occupation in the patent and the actual work was one of the circumstances identified. Therefore, when personnel changes are made, it is important not to limit the process to the initial document check, but to compare its details again with the worker’s current duties.
The absence of an employment contract was among the violations identified
According to MVD, employment contracts, which formalize the employment relationship, had not been concluded with the foreign workers at the inspected production facility. This fact was mentioned alongside issues concerning patents and occupations.
The practical conclusion for the personnel process is that employers need to check whether a contract has been executed for each foreign worker hired. The check should concern not only whether a digital file or paper copy exists, but also whether the contract belongs to the person who is actually working at the facility.
According to MVD, it was the combination of the circumstances identified that resulted in fines exceeding 2 million rubles for the businesses. Dividing internal controls into the worker’s documents, the work they actually perform, and the contract helps ensure that none of the points identified during the inspection is missed.
Expulsion decisions made concerning three foreign nationals
According to MVD, decisions on the expulsion of three foreign nationals who were unlawfully staying in Russia were made. This result concerns the foreign nationals themselves, not only organizations and businesses.
It is important for an employer to distinguish a personnel check from decisions made concerning a specific foreign national. In the case described by MVD, the expulsion decisions were connected with the unlawful stay of three people, while fines exceeding 2 million rubles were imposed on businesses for violations in hiring 16 workers.
According to MVD, seven administrative case files were also prepared in Nizhnevartovsk against organizations following migration inspections. This episode confirms that inspections also affect legal entities; however, MVD did not specify the grounds for these cases or the results of their review.
Employer control is built around four verification actions
An internal checking procedure can be structured around the circumstances specified by MVD: identify the foreign workers at the facility, verify their patents, compare the occupation in the patent with the actual work, and check that employment contracts have been executed. This control is intended for individual entrepreneurs and organizations hiring foreign nationals.
The MVD report did not specify any deadlines; it also did not cite legal provisions or provide a calculation of the penalties for each violation. When preparing decisions, an employer should verify the applicable requirements using official documents and MVD guidance rather than infer penalty amounts from the case described.
Frequently asked questions
Why were the businesses fined more than 2 million rubles?
According to the MVD report dated November 6, 2026, 16 foreign nationals were identified at a production facility without work patents, working in occupations not specified in their patents, and without employment contracts. The total amount of fines imposed on the businesses exceeded 2 million rubles.
Who do the expulsion decisions concern?
According to the MVD report dated November 6, 2026, expulsion decisions were made concerning three foreign nationals who were unlawfully staying in Russia.
What should be checked first for a foreign worker?
Based on the circumstances of the MVD inspection dated November 6, 2026, the employer should verify whether the worker has a work patent, the occupation specified in the patent, the work actually performed, and whether an employment contract exists.
What to check
- Prepare a list of foreign workers actually working at each facility.
- Verify that each worker for whom a work patent is required has one.
- Compare the employee’s actual work with the occupation specified in their work patent.
- Check that an employment contract has been concluded with each foreign worker.
- Compare personnel documents with the applicable official requirements and MVD guidance.
- Record the results of the check separately for each worker and facility.