Russia’s government has approved a plan to cut the country’s temporary migrant worker quota nearly in half by 2025, as reported by the state-run TASS news agency on Wednesday. The new quota for 2025 is set at 5,500 migrants, down from this year’s quota of 10,595.
The quota determines the number of foreign citizens allowed to temporarily reside and work in Russia, with permits issued for up to three years without extensions. Major cities like Moscow, St. Petersburg, and regions like Tatarstan and Bashkortostan will see reductions in the number of permits granted to temporary migrant workers.
Since the March attack on a Moscow concert hall, Russian authorities have been adopting a stricter stance on immigration, especially from Central Asian countries. Over the past five years, the temporary migrant worker quota has gradually decreased from 19,000 to 5,500 in 2025.
Despite the quota reductions, authorities have been struggling to meet the set quotas. The Interior Ministry reported a decrease in the number of migrants in the country from 8.5 million in 2022 to 6.1 million in September 2023.