Russia plans to take a number of steps to ease visa requirements for high-profile foreign professionals who work in the country, presidential aide Arkady Dvorkovich said on Friday.
Earlier, Federal Migration Service head Konstantin Romodanovsky said that about 20,000 high-profile foreign professionals and researchers come to Russia annually, while the Kremlin needs some 46,000 skilled foreigners a year to implement its ambitious modernization plans.
"The first [step] includes easing the visa regime not only for specialists themselves, but also for their families," Dvorkovich said.
"The second is a radical easing of requirements related to migration registration," he continued.
Special visa and migration rules will be introduced for foreign specialists with an annual salary of more than 2 million rubles ($64,000).
Foreigners who graduated from a Russian institute of higher education will obtain work permits more easily, Dvorkovich said.
MOSCOW, November 26 (RIA Novosti)
