11.08.2014 Natalia Zelentsova, associate at Maxima Legal

Migrants will have to confirm that they can speak Russian

From 1 January, 2015 amendments to Federal Law No. 115-FZ “On Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation” dated 25 July, 2002 will become effective. Those amendments impose on foreign citizen an obligation to confirm that he can speak Russian, knows history of Russia and fundamental principles of legislation of the Russian Federation for him to obtain temporary residence permit, residence permit and work permit.

Foreign citizen may confirm that he knows Russian, history of Russia and fundamental principles of legislation of the Russian Federation by a nationally recognized education certificate issued before 1 September 1991 on the territory of a former USSR country, education and/or qualifications certificate issued to the persons who have successfully passed state final examination on the territory of the Russian Federation from 1 September 1991 or by a certificate. In order to obtain the certificate foreign citizens must successfully pass an exam in Russian as a foreign language, an exam in history of Russia and the same in fundamental principles of legislation of the Russian Federation in an educational institution entered into a special list.

According to Order of the RF Ministry of Education and Science No. 255 dated 1 April, 2014 there are approved 7 levels of knowledge of Russian as a foreign language and requirements to them, including the basic level for migrant workers (ТБУМ/А1).

In particular, migrant workers are to meet the following requirements:

• they must read short simple texts from different sources (specifically, names of magazines and newspapers, signboards, inscriptions, signs, announcements), identify themes of the texts;
• on the basis of the text which was read or listened to they must be able to construct written monological statements with elements of products in accordance with communicative attitude or questions posed (for instance, an essay containing elements of composition, an essay with a creative task);
• listening comprehension of the principle information (in other words, the basic content, communicative intention) in short everyday life monologues and dialogues;
• they must be able to independently create coherent logical statements according to the communicative attitude; understand the meaning of interlocutor's statements, determine his communicative intention in a limited number of everyday situations; and
• they must use grammatical and lexical skills for creating statements showing their intentions in a limited number of everyday situations.

Lexical minimum equals 850 units.

However, if foreign citizen has already obtained residence or work permit such a permit must be presented for prolonging of the previously issued residence or work permit.

We note that, in particular, highly qualified specialists are discharged from obligation to present the foregoing documents.