Migration Controls Widen in Moscow From Sept. 1: The “Amina” Requirement Now Applies to Non-Working Foreigners

From Sept. 1, 2026, the scope of Russia's pilot migration control regime was expanded. The requirement to register through the “Amina” application now also applies to citizens of visa-free countries staying more than 90 days in Moscow and the Moscow region for purposes other than work, including foreign students.

The pilot currently applies only to the capital region, not to all of Russia. The application is designed to track foreign citizens' presence in the country through biometric identification and location recording.

What the numbers show

According to The Times of Central Asia, entries into Russia for work purposes by citizens of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan fell 15 percent in the first half of 2026. Roughly 1.9 million labor-related entries were recorded in January–June — compared with more than 2.3 million in the same period a year earlier.

• January–June 2026: ~1.9 million labor entries
• January–June 2025: more than 2.3 million
• Change: −15%
• Area of the new requirement: the city of Moscow and the Moscow region
• Scope: citizens of visa-free countries staying more than 90 days

How the rules have changed

Russia has made several changes to its migration legislation over the past two years. Since February 2025, foreign citizens without legal status have been entered into a registry of “controlled persons”; those added to the registry face restrictions on banking transactions and on registering property and vehicles.

On Oct. 15, 2025, Russia's president approved a State Migration Policy Concept for 2026–2030. The document sets out a course of tightening controls on arrivals from countries that are traditional sources of migration.

Next stages

From Oct. 1, 2026, the Interior Ministry will begin receiving regular data from the Federal Tax Service on foreign citizens' incomes. Where income is insufficient, it will be possible to refuse or revoke a patent, work permit, temporary residence permit or residence certificate.

From Jan. 1, 2027, through the end of 2030, a four-year pilot of a new system for recruiting foreign workers is planned. Under it, workers are tied to a specific employer, job and region. The pilot will cover 87 Russian regions and is expected to apply to more than 1.7 million foreign workers.

How this is reflected on the Uzbek side

According to Uzbekistan's Migration Agency, 96,415 citizens returned home from Russia during the ten days between Aug. 25 and Sept. 5, 2026. Labor migration over that period fell 13.2 percent compared with a year earlier.

Remittance volumes, meanwhile, have not declined: $3.8 billion crossed the border into Uzbekistan in the first quarter of 2026, 13 percent more than a year earlier. Russia's share of total transfers, however, fell from 77.6 percent to 72.4 percent.

Alternative destinations

Against the backdrop of tightening rules in Russia, Uzbekistan is seeking to expand legal labor migration channels in other directions. Over the course of 2026, negotiations were held with the United States on seasonal worker programs, including H-2A visas; agreements along similar lines were also discussed with South Korea, Japan and European Union countries.

The scale of these destinations remains significantly smaller than the Russian market for now.

An important caveat

How the pilot regime works

The procedure introduced in Moscow and the Moscow region requires foreign citizens to register through a dedicated mobile application. Registration involves submitting biometric data and transmitting location information to the system.

The requirement initially applied to those engaged in employment. Its scope was expanded on Sept. 1: it now also applies to people staying more than 90 days for purposes other than work, including foreign students.

The pilot currently applies only to the capital region, not to the whole country. Official statements indicate that extending it to other regions will be considered on the basis of its results.

The registry system

Since February 2025, foreign citizens without legal status have been entered into a registry of “controlled persons” in Russia. A person added to the registry faces a range of restrictions.

• Banking transactions are restricted
• Registering property is prohibited
• Registering a vehicle is not possible
• Restrictions apply to registering a marriage and to other legal acts
• Requirements are imposed on travel between regions

Removal from the registry requires either regularizing one's status or leaving the country.

The system starting in 2027

From Jan. 1, 2027, through the end of 2030, a four-year pilot of a new model for recruiting foreign workers is planned. Under it, a worker is tied to a specific employer, job and region.

The pilot is expected to cover 87 regions and to apply to more than 1.7 million foreign workers. This model limits a migrant's ability to move freely within the labor market.

International organizations have noted that in practice such systems can increase dependence on the employer and make it harder to protect labor rights.

Monitoring through tax data

From Oct. 1, 2026, the Interior Ministry will begin receiving regular data from the Federal Tax Service on foreign citizens' incomes.

If income falls below a set level, it will be possible to refuse or revoke a patent, work permit, temporary residence permit or residence certificate.

The receiving side's needs

Labor shortages are being recorded in Russia's labor market, particularly in construction, agriculture, logistics and utilities. Employers' associations have said that tightening migration rules could deepen this shortage.

This creates a tension in policy between two objectives: security and control requirements on one hand, and the economy's need for labor on the other.

Central Asian states' response

The region's states are seeking to expand alternative channels for legal labor migration. Uzbekistan held negotiations with the United States on seasonal worker programs, including H-2A visas; agreements along similar lines were also discussed with South Korea, Japan and European Union countries.

At the same time, the scale of these destinations remains significantly smaller than the Russian market, and they cannot fully replace it in the short term.

Expanding the domestic labor market is another avenue under discussion: the number of operating enterprises in Uzbekistan passed 509,800 in the first seven months of 2026.

Official statistics distinguish between the number of entries and the number of migrants permanently residing in the country: one person may cross the border several times in a year. It would therefore not be correct to interpret a decline in the volume of entries directly as a decline in the number of migrants by the same percentage.