A benefit for migrants in Russia: some workers may be exempted from the Russian language exam

Russia's Ministry of Internal Affairs has proposed waiving the exam requirement for certain labor migrants working in territories of advanced development. The relevant draft law has been published on the portal of draft regulatory legal acts.

According to the document, it is proposed to exempt foreign citizens hired by employers who have received a work permit in these territories from the obligation to confirm knowledge of the Russian language, Russian history, and the basics of legislation.

Territories of advanced development have been created in certain regions of Russia to attract investment and stimulate economic growth. According to the Ministry of Economic Development, there are 16 such territories operating in the Far East and two in the Arctic zone.

In Russia, the practice of exempting certain categories of foreign workers from the language exam has been applied before. In 2025, the government introduced a draft law exempting from the exam migrants receiving a work permit on the basis of a special quota. That document was adopted in its third reading in July of the same year.

At the same time, exam requirements were tightened for other categories of foreign citizens. From July 10, 2025, requirements for the listening section of the Russian language exam were raised, and requirements for listening and speaking skills in exams for temporary and permanent residence permits were expanded.

According to Russia's Ministry of Education, in October–December 2025 more than 201,500 people took the exam to confirm the level of Russian proficiency required to obtain a work permit or patent. Of these, 35.5 percent failed the exam on the first attempt. However, in the end, 87.9 percent of those who took the exam met the requirement.