RUSSIA: Quick Updates

Feb 19, 2020 | Global

Quota for engaging foreign labour in 2020 is approved.

The Russian government has approved the quota for engaging foreign labor in 2020, set at 104,993 foreign nationals, a decrease from 2019, when the quota was 144,583.

Croatia—simplification of visa formalities.

The Russian government has signed an agreement with the government of the Republic of Croatia regarding an amendment of the agreement between the two countries on mutual travel of citizens of the Russian Federation and Republic of Croatia. According to the new text of the agreement, citizens of each of these countries will be able to stay in the other country without visas for 90 calendar days out of each 180 days.

The agreement will come into force within 30 days from the date when the last notification is received confirming the completion of in-country ratification procedures.

Qatar—mutual cancellation of visa requirements.

The government of the Russian Federation has signed an order in support of an agreement with the government of the State of Qatar on mutual cancellation of visa requirements for their citizens. According to the draft agreement, citizens of the State of Qatar will be able to enter Russia without visas for the period of 90 days out of each 180 days, provided they do not engage in work activities, study, or permanently reside in Russia. Similar privileges will be enjoyed by Russian citizens upon entry to Qatar.

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EU re-opens to 14 countries but continues to ban U.S. travelers

Briefing The European Union has opened its borders to 14 countries: Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, and Uruguay. On June 30, each of these countries was placed on the EU’s “safe list” after fulfilling a variety of criteria assessing covid-19 related risks. The EU is also expected to open its borders to China soon provided that China reciprocates. Th EU’s “safe list”  is not legally binding; each individual country will decide whether or not they will follow the recommendations.  The safe list will be reviewed every 2 weeks using the European Commission’s Checklist that was published on June 11, 2020. The United States, Brazil and Russia are not included on the safe list due to continued COVID-19 related risks. More Information European Union, “Council agrees to start lifting travel restrictions for residents of some third countries,”https://www.consilium.europa.eu/fr/press/press-releases/2020/06/30/council-agrees-to-start-lifting-travel-restrictions-for-residents-of-some-third-countries/ European Union, “Communication from the Comission to the European Parliament, The European Council and The Council,  on the third assessment of the application of the temporary restriction on non-essential travel to the EU,” https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/annex-communication-assessment-temporary-restriction-non-essential-travel_en.pdf New Yorks Times, “E.U. Formalizes Reopening, Barring Travelers From U.S.”, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/30/world/europe/eu-reopening-blocks-us-travelers.html Newsweek, “EU Bars Travelers From U.S. in Another Major Blow to […]

How has COVID changed the global migration landscape?

A once-in-a-century pandemic brought the world to a screeching halt and upended daily life. Freedom of mobility was put on pause as travel restrictions, lockdowns and border shutdowns became the new norm. All industries worldwide were impacted. In the global residency and citizenship by investment industry, the pandemic had a slightly unexpected impact among investors and entrepreneurs. The pandemic brought forward a new perspective on planning and a heightened interest in enhanced global mobility through RCBI programs in a post-pandemic world. Where is the industry headed? WR Immigration Managing Partner weighs in – read the entire Q&A here.