Russia plans to increase migrant quotas in 2026

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The Russian Ministry of Labor has proposed increasing the quota for attracting skilled foreign workers entering the country on visas by nearly 19% in 2026, to 278,900 people. The draft government resolution has been published on the portal for draft regulatory legal acts.

The quota is determined annually based on employers’ applications for the following year. In 2025, this figure amounted to 234,900 people.

According to the draft, the largest number of quotas is allocated for employees in the food, woodworking, textile, and garment industries — 71,088 positions. The construction sector ranks second with 55,312 quotas, followed by metalworking, mechanical engineering, mechanics, and repair specialists with 45,391 quotas.

Earlier this summer, the State Duma adopted a draft law exempting migrants coming to Russia under the government quota system from taking the Russian language exam. According to the authors of the bill, this measure aims to simplify the process of attracting foreign labor. State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin questioned whether there is indeed a shortage of specialists in these professions and whether those who do not know Russian can effectively work in such fields.

In 2025, the Russian Ministry of Labor proposed increasing the number of quotas for skilled foreign workers by 50%. The ministry cited labor shortages and the need to import high-tech equipment as the main reasons for this decision.

It is worth noting that earlier, following a raid conducted in the Moscow region, reports stated that 96 migrants working in warehouse complexes would be deported from Russia.