Dismissing a foreign employee runs two parallel processes that must move together — the labour termination and the migration/permit cancellation. A gap between them leaves you employing an 'unauthorised' worker and facing a fine, even after the permit lapses.
Employment dismissal and migration cancellation — they have to move together, or a gap exposes you to a fine for an unauthorised worker.
HQS dismissals carry their own notifications and a 30-day window that a standard termination doesn't.
Why dismissing foreign employees is more complex in Russia
Legal grounds for dismissal under Russian Labour Code
HQS employees: the 30-day rule
Severance pay and final settlements for foreign employees
Post-termination migration process: work permit cancellation
Mass dismissals of foreign workers: the quota compliance scenario
Terminating the employment of a foreign national in Russia involves two parallel legal processes that must be coordinated precisely: the employment termination process under Russian Labour Code, and the immigration procedure — cancellation of work permits and ensuring the employee leaves Russia (or finds new employment) within the legally required timeframe.
Failure to complete both processes correctly exposes the employer to administrative fines for continued employment of an unauthorised worker (even if the work permit technically remains valid) and can leave the employee in an illegal immigration status. For HQS employees specifically, the consequences are more acute: the 30-day departure requirement is strictly enforced.
In 2026, several changes make this area more complex: the registry of controlled persons means employees who have violated Russian law may be subject to forced removal; new notification forms from August 2025 and September 2026 require updated procedures; and the increasing use of employment contracts with foreign nationals raises Labour Code compliance standards.
Russian Labour Code (Трудовой кодекс РФ, ТК РФ) applies equally to foreign nationals employed in Russia. The permitted grounds for dismissal are the same as for Russian citizens, plus some additional grounds specific to foreign workers.
Standard grounds (apply equally to all employees):
Mutual agreement (по соглашению сторон, Art. 78 ТК) — most flexible, recommended for amicable separations
Employee's initiative (по собственному желанию, Art. 80 ТК) — 2-week notice period
Employer's initiative — redundancy (сокращение численности или штата, Art. 81(2) ТК) — 2-month notice, severance 2 months' salary + job search guarantee
Employer's initiative — liquidation (Art. 81(1) ТК) — same terms as redundancy
For cause — misconduct, absenteeism, gross negligence (Art. 81(5)-(8) ТК)
Fixed-term contract expiry (Art. 79 ТК) — 3 days' notice before expiry
Additional grounds specific to foreign employees (Art. 327.6 ТК):
Expiry or cancellation of work permit or patent
Pick your situation — we'll tell you where you stand:
Expiry or cancellation of visa
Expiry or revocation of РВП (temporary residence permit) or ВНЖ (permanent residence permit)
Cancellation of HQS status (e.g., salary falls below threshold)
Company's headcount of foreign workers exceeds the sector staffing limit — grounds to dismiss "excess" foreign workers without individual fault
Employer administrative suspension (if related to migration violations)
For "additional grounds" dismissals, the employer must notify the employee in writing at least 7 calendar days before the permit or visa expires. This 7-day window is often missed in practice, creating compliance risk.
The termination of an HQS employment contract triggers a specific and often misunderstood clock: the 30-business-day rule.
Under Article 13.2 of Federal Law No. 115-FZ, if an HQS employment contract is terminated, the HQS employee must either:
Enter into a new HQS employment contract with a different Russian employer within 30 business days of the previous contract's termination, or
Depart Russia within 30 calendar days after the 30-business-day period expires
The migration/permit cancellation has to move in step with the employment dismissal — MVD notifications and, for HQS, a specific window. Sequencing them together is what avoids a gap where you're treated as employing an unauthorised worker.
HQS carries its own notification requirements and a 30-day window that a standard dismissal doesn't. Handling the HQS-specific steps, alongside the labour termination, is what keeps the exit compliant.
If the labour side and migration side don't move together, you can end up formally employing someone whose authorisation has lapsed — a fine. Coordinating the two tracks is exactly what closes that gap.
This explains the two parallel processes — labour termination and migration cancellation — that must move together. Your question is how to dismiss a foreign employee without a gap that leaves you employing an 'unauthorised' worker and facing a fine, even when the permit technically lapsed.
Dismissing a foreign hire? The migration side has to move with the labour side — a gap is a fine, so worth planning first.
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