Employment for International Students: What the Law Says and What Documentation You Need
To start with we advise you to familiarize yourself with the following:
· This guide, compiled by Maxim Parshin, a student of HSE in Moscow. The guide has photographs and commentary. How to Get a Work Permit as an International Student, without Going Grey.
In order to work in Russia international students must be of age (18 years old) and, as a rule, independently get a work permit from the Directorate-General for Immigration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation.
However, in accordance with the law on international students studying at Russian universities, it is possible to work without receiving a work permit, if:
· You work during the holidays (Subsection 6 of Section 4 of Article 13 of the Federal Law ‘Concerning the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation’) or to undertake an internship/ traineeship
· You work in your free time at the university where they study. Foreign students at HSE can work at the university and all of its institutions and departments like any other employee, without any special permit
· You are a student from a member-state of the Eurasian Economic Union (Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan), and don’t need a work permit in general.
There are some restrictions on holding a permanent position. Firstly, foreigners cannot occupy the position of main accountant or other roles connected to the accountancy of a Russian company. Only foreigners with a residence permit or permit for temporary residency can do the accountancy for a company. Secondly, foreigners cannot be recruited to work for the municipal or state civil service or for work that is connected to Russian national security.
1. First you need to receive an offer of employment from a company and have a contract and only then can you receive your contract-specific work permit. If the company says that in order to conclude the contract you first need to have a permit, they are not correct - this goes against the legislation.
2. To obtain a work permit you need to log 10-15 work days and 6-7,000 rubles (tax and medical records)
3. Students can collect their permit at the Multifunction Centre for the Provision of State and Municipal Services (МФЦ). You need to go there three times: First, to give over your documents to be checked and to be tested for certificates. Second, to bring certificates and if necessary, the corrected documents. And finally, to collect your permit.
In order to receive a work permit a foreign student studying in Russia should present the following documents:
1. Work Permit Application. Two copies are best. You can find a template on the Ministry of Internal Affairs website or you can download one here – Work Permit Application
2. A document confirming the identity of the foreign citizen. This can be a passport or a notarized copy.
3. Certificate of Studyfor the foreign citizen for full-time education, given by their educational organization. A Certificate of study at the programme of professional education for the foreign citizen – Certificate Sample
4. Labour contract or civil-law contract on the fulfillment of employment (provision of services), the original, formed and concluded in accordance to the legislation of the Russian Federation. The employer must notify the territorial body of the migration service and the employment service of the conclusion and termination of employment contracts with foreign students. You can work only in the profession specified in the permit and prescribed in the employment contract (check that the position names match), and in the city (region) where their university is located.
5. Documents confirming the absence of drug addiction and infectious diseases that pose a danger to others, as well as a certificate of absence of the disease caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV infection).
6. Document confirming the payment of the state fee for the provision of public services (receipt or check) - the state fee for issuing a work permit to a foreign citizen, 3500 rubles.
7. Migration card with a mark of the border control authority on entry, a copy of it (not notarized).
8. Registration at the place of stay, which the university organizes for you, and its copy (not notarized). Also, just in case, bring the VHI policy and its copy and a 3x4 color photo. This is not indicated in the official list of documents, but it is better to be safe.
To the multifunctional center.
After transferring all documents to the FMS, a foreign student should receive PHP in 10 working days.
The permit is issued for 1 year, subsequently it must be renewed for the duration of the employment contract. If the student dropped out, permission is canceled. If a student changes his work before the end of the validity period of the current permit, he can work on this document in the next place, but is obliged to inform the migration service of Russia about the changes within a week.
If a foreign student will work in a structural unit of the university, then he does not need to apply for a work permit. As well as the University does not need to obtain permission to attract and use foreign workers. The employment of foreign students at the Higher School of Economics is carried out in the general manner, without restrictions, in accordance with the labor legislation of the Russian Federation, as well as citizens of the Russian Federation if the employee complies with the above-mentioned migration requirements.
When applying for a job, a foreign student must present the following to the employer:
- passport or other identification document and its copy with translation;
- work book (if this is your first place of work, then the university itself will start it);
- insurance certificate of compulsory pension insurance SNILS (it can also be done by the university);
- TIN, registration and migration card,
- an agreement (policy) of voluntary medical insurance valid in the territory of the Russian Federation;
- a document on education and / or on qualifications or the availability of special knowledge (when applying for a job requiring special knowledge or special training);
- certificate of criminal record (absence).
What are the conditions for internships by foreign students?
For internships, foreign students do not need to obtain a work permit, with the exception of cases provided for in paragraph 15 of the Regulation on the practice of students mastering the main professional educational programs of higher education (approved by order of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia dated November 27, 2015 No. 1383).
That is, in most cases you do not need any permissions to practice!
· This guide, compiled by Maxim Parshin, a student of HSE in Moscow. The guide has photographs and commentary. How to Get a Work Permit as an International Student, without Going Grey.
In order to work in Russia international students must be of age (18 years old) and, as a rule, independently get a work permit from the Directorate-General for Immigration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation.
However, in accordance with the law on international students studying at Russian universities, it is possible to work without receiving a work permit, if:
· You work during the holidays (Subsection 6 of Section 4 of Article 13 of the Federal Law ‘Concerning the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation’) or to undertake an internship/ traineeship
· You work in your free time at the university where they study. Foreign students at HSE can work at the university and all of its institutions and departments like any other employee, without any special permit
· You are a student from a member-state of the Eurasian Economic Union (Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan), and don’t need a work permit in general.
There are some restrictions on holding a permanent position. Firstly, foreigners cannot occupy the position of main accountant or other roles connected to the accountancy of a Russian company. Only foreigners with a residence permit or permit for temporary residency can do the accountancy for a company. Secondly, foreigners cannot be recruited to work for the municipal or state civil service or for work that is connected to Russian national security.
Employment at a Company
1. First you need to receive an offer of employment from a company and have a contract and only then can you receive your contract-specific work permit. If the company says that in order to conclude the contract you first need to have a permit, they are not correct - this goes against the legislation.
2. To obtain a work permit you need to log 10-15 work days and 6-7,000 rubles (tax and medical records)
3. Students can collect their permit at the Multifunction Centre for the Provision of State and Municipal Services (МФЦ). You need to go there three times: First, to give over your documents to be checked and to be tested for certificates. Second, to bring certificates and if necessary, the corrected documents. And finally, to collect your permit.
In order to receive a work permit a foreign student studying in Russia should present the following documents:
1. Work Permit Application. Two copies are best. You can find a template on the Ministry of Internal Affairs website or you can download one here – Work Permit Application
2. A document confirming the identity of the foreign citizen. This can be a passport or a notarized copy.
3. Certificate of Studyfor the foreign citizen for full-time education, given by their educational organization. A Certificate of study at the programme of professional education for the foreign citizen – Certificate Sample
4. Labour contract or civil-law contract on the fulfillment of employment (provision of services), the original, formed and concluded in accordance to the legislation of the Russian Federation. The employer must notify the territorial body of the migration service and the employment service of the conclusion and termination of employment contracts with foreign students. You can work only in the profession specified in the permit and prescribed in the employment contract (check that the position names match), and in the city (region) where their university is located.
5. Documents confirming the absence of drug addiction and infectious diseases that pose a danger to others, as well as a certificate of absence of the disease caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV infection).
6. Document confirming the payment of the state fee for the provision of public services (receipt or check) - the state fee for issuing a work permit to a foreign citizen, 3500 rubles.
7. Migration card with a mark of the border control authority on entry, a copy of it (not notarized).
8. Registration at the place of stay, which the university organizes for you, and its copy (not notarized). Also, just in case, bring the VHI policy and its copy and a 3x4 color photo. This is not indicated in the official list of documents, but it is better to be safe.
Where to carry the documents?
To the multifunctional center.
After transferring all documents to the FMS, a foreign student should receive PHP in 10 working days.
The permit is issued for 1 year, subsequently it must be renewed for the duration of the employment contract. If the student dropped out, permission is canceled. If a student changes his work before the end of the validity period of the current permit, he can work on this document in the next place, but is obliged to inform the migration service of Russia about the changes within a week.
Employment at the Higher School of Economics
If a foreign student will work in a structural unit of the university, then he does not need to apply for a work permit. As well as the University does not need to obtain permission to attract and use foreign workers. The employment of foreign students at the Higher School of Economics is carried out in the general manner, without restrictions, in accordance with the labor legislation of the Russian Federation, as well as citizens of the Russian Federation if the employee complies with the above-mentioned migration requirements.
When applying for a job, a foreign student must present the following to the employer:
- passport or other identification document and its copy with translation;
- work book (if this is your first place of work, then the university itself will start it);
- insurance certificate of compulsory pension insurance SNILS (it can also be done by the university);
- TIN, registration and migration card,
- an agreement (policy) of voluntary medical insurance valid in the territory of the Russian Federation;
- a document on education and / or on qualifications or the availability of special knowledge (when applying for a job requiring special knowledge or special training);
- certificate of criminal record (absence).
What are the conditions for internships by foreign students?
For internships, foreign students do not need to obtain a work permit, with the exception of cases provided for in paragraph 15 of the Regulation on the practice of students mastering the main professional educational programs of higher education (approved by order of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia dated November 27, 2015 No. 1383).
That is, in most cases you do not need any permissions to practice!