August 19, 2008 — On July 24, Russia saw a number of regulations regarding Employment Permits and Work Permits come into force. The applications made to the Employment Center to obtain Employment Center Conclusion had been put on hold; however, in recent weeks the authorities resumed the procedure in accordance with new regulations.

The modifications to the application process are as follows:

• Employers must submit a Work Force Demand (WFD) application to local labor authorities.
• WFD will last for thirty calendar days. The Employer can only apply to the Federal Migration Service (FMS) for Corporate and Personal Work to fill vacancies, only after these thirty days have passed.
• The decision on issuance of the work permits will be made jointly by the FMS and the Federal Labor Authorities.
• If approved, the FMS will issue Corporate and Personal Permits within 28 days of the initial application.

The remaining procedures are unchanged, for now. It is still necessary to obtain an invitation letter for a Work Visa and apply for the Visa at the Russian Consulate in the home country.

AmCham Russia has made arrangements with authorities for a special 'one-window' service and the Chamber is keeping members abreast of the situation. The above-mentioned Corporate and Personal Work Permits and the Invitation Letter can now be obtained by AmCham members in a single step. AmCham has also advised that the WFD procedure might be completed in concert with the three other steps. Foreign employees of companies who are members of AmCham do not need to take all 7 medical tests – only an HIV test is required.

Forecast for Foreign Labor in 2009:

Employers who missed the May 1 deadline to submit their forecast for foreign labor in 2009 can now submit any amendments to previous declarations or submit new forecasts before the end of August.

Employers who do not submit in time may not be permitted to employ foreigners for specific positions in 2009.