The initiative to scale up Moscow’s practice of registering foreign nationals through a dedicated app is aimed primarily at the regions. For companies hiring foreign workers outside Moscow, this is a signal to monitor whether a digital registration format may become an official procedure. For now, this is a proposal rather than an introduced obligation.
What exactly has been proposed and why it matters to businesses
Dmitry Medvedev called for Moscow’s experience of registering migrants using a dedicated app to be extended nationwide. The practical significance of the news for employers lies not in the need to immediately change their HR procedures, but in the possibility that processes may be adapted in the future if the proposal is formalized into mandatory rules.
Companies operating in regions where foreign nationals work should pay particular attention to the initiative’s development. If a digital service is introduced, an employer may need to align its existing organization of migration registration, HR data, and internal allocation of responsibilities with the new procedure.
No new obligations have been established yet
According to the information available, no law or resolution, system launch date, list of obligated persons, or procedure for using the app has been specified. Therefore, the proposal itself does not justify concluding that employers must already connect to the service, submit information through it, or require employees to take any new actions.
RIA Novosti (РИА Новости), a Russian news agency, did not specify the timeline for implementation in the regions, connection to the app, or submission of information. Do not introduce new procedures independently, collect additional data, or announce new requirements to employees until an official procedure and its effective date are established.
Which processes should be monitored
It is useful for a company to ensure that an employee or department has been designated to handle migration registration and communication with foreign workers. This oversight is needed not only in case of digitalization: it also helps assess in a timely manner who will be affected by new regulation and which routine operations may need to be reviewed.
It is also worth compiling a working list of the HR and migration data that the company already uses in relation to foreign employees. This does not mean that this information will necessarily be required for a future app: the system’s parameters have not been disclosed. However, the list will make it possible to more quickly compare existing processes with official requirements if they are adopted.
How to reduce the risk of being unprepared
A sensible measure is to monitor official communications from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia (МВД России), the federal law enforcement agency responsible for migration administration, regional authorities, and adopted regulatory acts. Within the company, it is worth determining in advance who will track changes, to whom the information will be passed, and who will decide whether the HR process needs to be adjusted.
The risk for businesses arises not from this statement itself, but if a mandatory system is subsequently introduced. A company that does not monitor changes may learn about new rules too late and fail to reorganize its registration procedures in time. Until then, continue operating under the current procedure for processing foreign workers and migration registration.
FAQ
Do employers already need to connect to the app for tracking foreign workers?
No. This is still only a proposal: no law or resolution, system launch date, list of obligated parties, or procedure for using the app has been announced.
Do employers need to introduce new requirements for foreign workers or collect additional data now?
No. Employers should not independently introduce new procedures, collect additional data, or announce new requirements to employees until an official procedure and its effective date have been issued.
Who should pay particular attention to this initiative?
Companies in regions where foreign nationals work should pay particular attention. If a digital service is introduced, an employer may need to align its existing migration registration arrangements, HR data, and internal allocation of responsibilities with the new procedure.
What should a company do now?
A company should appoint a person responsible for migration registration, review current documents and notifications concerning foreign employees, and monitor communications from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia (МВД России) and regional authorities. Until mandatory rules are introduced, it should continue following the current procedures for employing foreign workers and migration registration.
What to check
- Assign a person responsible for migration registration and interaction with foreign workers.
- Check that current documents and notifications concerning foreign employees are prepared in accordance with the current procedure.
- Set up monitoring of official communications from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia and the authorities of the region where the company operates.
- Compile an internal list of the HR and migration data being used.
- Determine who will assess process changes when an official procedure is introduced.
- Do not introduce new requirements for employees solely on the basis of a statement about the possible nationwide expansion of the system.