Ignorance of the Law is no Excuse: A foreigner and his employer are placed into the invisible web of compliance requirements. Foreigners have duty to register themselves at their home or office address upon arrival. May activities require a valid residential registration. The registrations are a big thing. 'I have no registration' is a ubiquitous stumbling block in many situations. Incompliance with registration terms may lead to exclusion from the country. There are other, multiple compliance requirements.

Foreigners are taxed differently, their statutory reporting terms and formats are more diverse than those of Russian citizens. Not all accountants are competent enough to handle taxation of foreign employees correctly. Any administrative offence record (traffic ticket, missed statutory reporting deadline, visa overstay) may lead straight to exclusion from the country and forbidding the country in future. It is critical to avoid records of administrative violations, because what is a ordinary penalty for you in your home country, may be the reason for deportation and a ban to re-enter Russia. Such situations are difficult to repair.

Wars, armed conflicts, persecution

Russia joined July 28th 1951 UN Convention "On Refugee Status" and January 31st 1967 "Protocol Concerning Refugee Status". A foreigner may apply for a Temporary Shelter status in Russia – the status, if granted, have to be re-consireded semi-annually. A foreigner also may apply for Refugee Status (procecution needs to be proven) - the status, if granted, have to be re-consireded once in 1,5 years.

In 2013 Syrian citizens topped the list. In 2014 the status was practical for many Ukrainian citizens.