Refusal and cancellation of a work permit

Issuing a work permit is a complicated procedure that requires many documents and compliance with multiple conditions. It often does not end successfully for a variety of reasons.

• If the Ministry of Internal Affairs finds violations when receiving the application, the documents will not be accepted.
• If the application and the documents are accepted but after that, errors are found, the Ministry will refuse to issue the permit.
• If violations happen or are found out after the permit is issued, it will be cancelled.

In order to prevent cancellation or refusal of a work permit, you need to write your statement correctly and assemble the documents, check that the foreign citizen complies with all the conditions for obtaining a permit and, if necessary, eliminate the violations.

Learn about the cost and all possible options for hiring a foreign employee on our website.

Reasons for refusal and cancellation of a work permit

Both a foreign citizen or an employer company can be to blame for the refusal or cancellation of a work permit:

1. A foreign citizen or employer submitted false documents or reported false information about themselves.
2. A foreigner advocates a forced change in the constitution of the Russian Federation, threatens the security of the country and its citizens, plans or finances terrorist attacks, supports terrorist activities. FSB provides the information on these violations at the request of the Ministry of Interior Affairs.
3. A foreign citizen was previously deported from the Russian Federation or transferred to another country under a readmission agreement.
4. A foreigner committed a crime, was convicted on the territory or outside of Russia and has a valid, outstanding conviction.
5. A foreigner stays outside the Russian Federation for more than 6 months or has moved to another country for permanent residence.
6. A foreign citizen suffers from drug addiction, HIV infection and other dangerous infectious diseases.
7. A foreign citizen is under the age of 18.
8. The Ministry of Internal Affairs decides that the foreigner’s stay in Russia is undesirable.

The work permit is also cancelled in cases when a foreign employee did not start work on time without serious reasons, did not register with the tax authorities within six months after being employed, or was dismissed and did not enter into a new employment contract. In the latter case, the employer can independently submit a petition for the annulment of the existing work permit. To do this, within 3 days after the dismissal, you must provide the Minister of Internal Affairs with a notice of termination of the employment contract.

More detailed and complete reasons for the refusal and cancellation of a work permit you can find in the 18th article of the Federal Law "On the legal status of foreign citizens in the Russian Federation."

If you do not agree with the reasons for which the work permit was cancelled, you can appeal the decision of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in court.

Learn more about the process of obtaining a work permit for a foreigner on our website.