Russia: HQS Salary Calculation Method is changed

The Russian Federal Law announced an amendment for the “HQS” Salary Calculation Method, which will inure on 24th April 2015.
The Change contains the correction of the Salary Calculation method for the status of “high qualified specialist” (HQS) of foreign employees. Instead of taking the annual gross salary it is now required to consider the monthly salary as basis for “HQS” –Status determination.
Affected are Russian Employers, who will be hiring foreign nationals in the future.
The reform allows classification, if the foreign national

  • does not earn less than 83.500 rubles per calendar month by working as scientists or teachers invited by institutions of higher education, state academies, scientific-research centers and state scientific centers; or by working as employee of Industrial Production Special Economic Zone (SEZ), Tourism and Recreational SEZ or Port SEZ; or by working as employee for government-accredited organizations working in the field of informational technologies; or working as employee for legal entities carrying out their activities in the territories of the Republic of Crimea and the federal city Sevastopol
  • Do not earn less than 58.500 rubles by working as employee for technology Innovative SEZ
  • Do not earn less than 167.000 rubles generally

According the guidelines for a “HQS” – employment attention should be paid to the fact that one quarter salary has to be equal to three-fold monthly salaries. This regulation equally applies to the cases when employment of a foreign national is interrupted due to illness or due to unpaid leave.
We therefore recommend to Russian employers to correct monthly “HQS” salaries, if these are a little less than set up by law. Currently there is no recommendation for changing to valid labor contracts.
In case monthly salary is less than the prescribed by Law minimums, the Federal Migration Service may take a decision on imposing the ban for employer to recruit “HQS” throughout two years.
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.agPhone: +49 (0) 851 988666-0