The decree invalidates previous presidential decrees regulating employment of foreigners in Russia effective January 15, 2007.

The new system of employing foreign workers is outlined by the government ruling dated November 15. The ruling, which takes effect on January 15, 2007, introduces a quota of 6 million work permits in 2007 for immigrants from countries that have visa-free travel agreements with Russia.

Those countries include Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Previously there was no quota for immigrants from these countries. Most immigrants working in Russia are not legally registered, but employers are rarely prosecuted for hiring illegal immigrants.

In the same ruling the Russian government set a separate quota of 40% of total staff for any foreign employees working in street markets for January-March 2007 and a zero quota starting from April 1, 2007. The government also banned the employment of foreign nationals by retailers of alcoholic beverages and pharmaceutical products starting from January 1, 2007.

On November 11 the government set a quota of 308,842 work permits for 2007 for citizens of countries that do not have visa-free agreements with Russia, down 6% compared with the single quota for all foreign countries for this year.

The move was initiated by Putin, who called for an overhaul of immigration laws. Prime-Tass