In January 2015 a new law will come into force making it compulsory for foreign nationals to provide proof of their knowledge of the Russian language, as well as of the history and the foundations of the legislation of the Russian Federation in order to be granted permission to immigrate to Russia.

The certificate needs to be obtained by all foreign nationals hoping to obtain a temporary or permanent residence permit, a patent or a work permit. In order to obtain the required certificate, an exam has to be passed either in Russia or at an educational organization abroad that has the permission to conduct the required tests (including the TORFL, the test of Russian as a foreign language).
The certificate is then valid for five years. When applying for a work permit, the certificate has to be provided to the territorial agency of the federal executive authority in the field of migration within 30 days. Failure to do so will lead to the cancellation of the work permit or its application. For those foreign nationals that have obtained their permanent residence permit or work permit prior to the 1st of January 2015, the required certificates are to be submitted when applying for a renewal.
It is important to note that highly qualified specialist (HQS) who are employed at the time of application are exempt from this regulation. Furthermore, full-time students, attending a state-accredited professional educational organization or institution in Russia are also exempt. The exemption further covers journalists that are working for organizations producing mass media in foreign languages.

Even if immigration rules are becoming more complex and complicated, the ICUnet.AG will accompany you by every step of your international processes.Please feel free to contact our expert Gesa Lipke, if you have any questions:
E-mail: gesa.lipke(at)icunet.ag
Phone: +49 (0) 851 988666-0