Additional grounds for dismissal of foreign workers

On March 1, 2026, amendments to the Labor Code of the Russian Federation introduced by Federal Law No. 419-FZ of November 17, 2025, “On Amendments to Article 327-6 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation”  regarding additional grounds for dismissing foreign workers if their numbers need to be brought into line with regional restrictions.

Currently, labor legislation allows for the termination of employment contracts with foreign workers in such cases only to bring the number of foreign workers into line with the provisions established by federal laws, decrees of the President of the Russian Federation, and resolutions of the Government of the Russian Federation.

Due to the fact that in a number of regions it is prohibited to employ foreigners in certain types of economic activities, the new version of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation will allow this discrepancy.

Employers are advised to carefully monitor the number of their foreign workers in accordance with the types of economic activity and to monitor all changes established not only at the federal level, but also at the regional level – in the relevant constituent entity of the Russian Federation – in order to take all necessary measures in a timely manner to bring the number of foreign workers into compliance and avoid the risks of administrative liability. It should be noted that the maximum fine for legal entities for such violations is 1 million rubles, and foreign citizens may be expelled from the Russian Federation (Article 18.17 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation).