Russia's Interior Ministry proposes exempting workers of advanced development territories from the Russian language exam

Russia's Interior Ministry has submitted a bill exempting foreign workers recruited by residents of advanced development territories from confirming knowledge of Russian, history and the basics of legislation. According to the Ministry of Economic Development, there are 18 such territories: 16 in the Far East and two in the Arctic zone. Earlier, certain categories of migrants were already exempted from the exam, while for others the requirements were tightened from 2025.

tafs uz editorial deskFirst published on tafs uz 16 October 2026 at 01:002 min readAI translation

The key facts

The Interior Ministry proposed abolishing the exam in Russian, history and the basics of legislation for workers of advanced development territories
There are 18 such territories in total: 16 in the Far East and 2 in the Arctic (data of the Ministry of Economic Development)
From October to December 2025, more than 201.5 thousand people took the exam; 35.5% failed on the first attempt, 87.9% passed in the end

A new initiative by the Interior Ministry

Russia's Ministry of Internal Affairs has put forward an initiative to abolish the requirement to take an exam for some labor migrants working in advanced development territories. The relevant bill has been published on the portal of draft regulatory legal acts. The document provides for exempting foreign citizens recruited by employers who have received a work permit in these territories from the obligation to confirm knowledge of the Russian language, Russian history and the basics of legislation.

What advanced development territories are

Advanced development territories have been created in certain regions of Russia to attract investment and stimulate economic growth. According to the Ministry of Economic Development, 16 such territories operate in the Far East, and two in the Arctic zone.

The ministry's motives

As Darakchi.uz reports, citing the Interior Ministry's position, exemption from the exams should help employers recruit foreign specialists faster, as well as create more favorable conditions for investment and the socio-economic development of these territories.

Previous exemption practice

The practice of exempting certain categories of foreign workers from the language exam has been applied in Russia before. In 2025, the government introduced a bill exempting from the exam migrants obtaining a work permit on the basis of a special quota; the document was adopted in its third reading in July of the same year.

Tightened requirements for other categories

At the same time, for other categories of foreign citizens, the exam requirements were tightened. From July 10, 2025, the requirements for the listening section of the Russian language exam were raised, and the requirements for listening and speaking skills in exams for obtaining temporary and permanent residence permits were expanded.

Exam statistics

According to the Russian Ministry of Education, in October–December 2025 more than 201.5 thousand people took the exam to confirm the level of Russian proficiency required for obtaining a work permit or a patent. Of them, 35.5% failed the exam on the first attempt, but in the end 87.9% of those taking it met the requirement.