New rules concerning expats in Moscow recently been announced have been changed following general disapproval.
Expats who travel to Moscow were told that they would have to register themselves with the government via their landlord. This sparked outrage as people were concerned that the new system was too confusing. Previously expats working in Moscow were allowed to register through their employer, which was seen as a amuch easier system.
Yekaterina Yegorova of the Federal Migration Service originally issued a statement saying: “A landlord can register a foreign tenant of their own free will, and we don’t exclude the participation of an employer who is the landlord.”
However people feared that the new system would cause many problems. Chris Gilbert, an English man in Moscow said: “On the one hand, we have initiatives from the Economic Development Ministry trying to do more to attract foreign specialists into the country as part of Russia’s overall modernisation strategy. On the other we have different government agencies making matters more difficult for those very specialists.”
Other concerns were also raised, especially for expats who perhaps did not have a strong grasp on the Russian language.
In response to the outcry the Federal Migration Service has now retreated from its stance and allowed the original system to stay in place. As of yet there is no official statement, by the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia has stated that they had “secured confirmation of the current practice whereby expat employees register through their company.” An official statement is expected in the next few days.