The Russian State Duma has provisionally approved a bill in its second reading that would exempt some quota-based migrant workers from the Russian language exam. However, the crucial third reading has been unexpectedly postponed.
This legislation specifically targets labor migrants from countries requiring a visa to enter Russia. The government allocates special quotas for their employment; for the current year, over 230,000 such individuals are authorized to enter. Despite this allocation, only about a quarter of the quota has been utilized so far, according to data from the Ministry of Labor.
Despite the underutilization of the quota, lawmakers expressed apprehension about waiving the language requirement for these foreign specialists. This concern is particularly sharp because the Ministry of Labor’s proposed list of eligible professions includes roles that involve direct public interaction, such as drivers, salespeople, and social workers.
State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin voiced strong opposition during a plenary session, questioning the practicality: “How will they work with people without knowing the language?” He further urged the Ministry of Internal Affairs to review the Ministry of Labor’s compiled list, highlighting its perceived flaws.
“Why are you inviting specialists that we already have? For those who might not know the language, categories like a driver, a salesperson, they need to communicate; they must know the language. We will proceed with the law this way: we will consider the bill today in the second reading, but we will not proceed to the third reading – we will schedule it for next week. And you, colleagues, please revisit this, and then you will address all concerns by adjusting your order, based on society`s demands.”
Business FM consulted representatives from various Russian business sectors to ascertain which professions, in their opinion, might genuinely tolerate a lack of Russian language proficiency among migrant workers, and which unequivocally demand it.
“We are currently seeing pressure on textile factories, where many Vietnamese workers are employed, to have them pass Russian language exams. Typically, these are compact companies where only Vietnamese individuals work; they communicate among themselves and with sewing machines. Knowledge of the Russian language for them is, mildly put, not highly in demand. They are now being pushed to learn, but since they practically don`t use the language, it’s a waste of time and effort. Therefore, for professions like sewers in the textile industry, where there is no client interaction, I believe Russian language proficiency requirements are irrelevant. I understand that a driver, a salesperson, a hairdresser, and so on, must know Russian, otherwise, instead of a stylish haircut, they might give you a bowl cut and say: sorry, I didn’t understand.”
Regarding where quota migrants are truly needed, Mr. Filippov added:
“Today, there is a great need for sewers, construction workers, and agricultural laborers. It’s probably impossible to manage these sectors without migrants. As a rule, among foreign teams, there is usually someone who has at least a basic grasp of the language and can translate for their colleagues if needed.”
Dmitry Filippov
Director, Rusit Group of Companies (textile production)
“In the construction industry, it is possible to work without language proficiency because, typically, such employees have their foremen who are fluent in the language and manage them. For our industry, this arrangement is acceptable.”
When discussing higher-level positions within the construction sector, Mr. Minin clarified:
“Personnel in those roles must have Russian language proficiency. Migrants are not exclusively involved in construction. For instance, we see migrants in delivery services and taxis. In those fields, a lack of Russian language skills is a significant barrier.”
Dmitry Minin
CEO, Atlant Project and Construction Company
“Most likely, professions like street sweeping and cleaning could be performed without knowing the language. As for roles involving automobiles, it`s probably more `no` than `yes,` because language proficiency and client communication are essential. However, language knowledge might not be critical if they are genuinely skilled specialists in the service sector, for example, car mechanics. Here, professionalism — the ability to work with engines, gearboxes, and so forth — is paramount. I believe this opportunity could genuinely benefit us, especially given the current significant shortage of auto mechanics.”
On the necessity of quotas, Mr. Gutsulyak remarked:
“In our field, quotas are particularly needed for service employees, specifically auto mechanics. I haven`t encountered drivers who don`t speak at least some Russian. We do have a few individuals from Africa, but they speak Russian perfectly.”
Alexey Gutsulyak
Development Director, Taxipark “369”
“Medicine is a field where language knowledge is strictly necessary. This applies not only to doctors and nurses, naturally, but also to junior medical staff, such as orderlies. Theoretically, women working in cleaning might not need to know the language, but even that would be very difficult. I find it hard to imagine a scenario where some magical employees are brought in from elsewhere, possessing no specific knowledge, no language skills, and no understanding of cultural nuances, and these miraculous individuals somehow start to improve the level of Russian medicine. Without knowing Russian, you can, for instance, lay asphalt; generally, within a month, one would start to understand words like ‘right,’ ‘left,’ ‘forward,’ ‘backward,’ ‘salary,’ ‘drink,’ ‘eat.’ This can be learned in any language in just a few weeks – 50 words and you’ll be able to communicate tolerably. However, medicine is not this simple; it’s limited to very basic, primitive work, like hiring people for seasonal tasks such as cotton or strawberry picking. Of course, there are specialties where you are not obligated to know Russian: you`re given a shovel, shown the area of work, and you dig from the fence until lunchtime.”
Andrey Korolev
Professor, Surgeon, Orthopedist, Traumatologist, Chief Physician at Mars Clinic
Volodin indicated that the bill`s third reading might take place during the final sessions of the current period, on July 22 or 23. This delay is intended to allow sufficient time for the Ministry of Labor to provide the necessary comments and clarifications regarding its proposed list of professions.
Rupert Blackwood 
Clement Ashworth