Putin Ratifies India–Russia Agreement on Temporary Employment of Citizens

The ratification of the agreement between India and Russia regarding temporary employment will help to ease the process of movement of laborers between the two nations within an agreed framework. The ratification law was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on 12 October 2026 after being endorsed in the parliament of Russia. The agreement was signed by Putin in his state visit to New Delhi in December 2025 along with another agreement on combating irregular migration. The latest development is due to the fact that Russia is currently facing a shortage of labor in certain sectors.

What Is the India-Russia Temporary Employment Agreement?

This agreement, signed in New Delhi on 4 December 2025, lays down guidelines for temporary employment of Indian citizens in Russia and Russian citizens in India. The goal of the agreement is to facilitate temporary employment arrangements through regulation of labour migration in accordance with laws and labour market needs of the two countries.

This is a two-way agreement for labor mobility and not for the general purpose of visa-free movement. The workers should satisfy the requirements related to employment and immigration.

Important Features of the Agreement

• Work Permits: Normally, the workers require a work permit with some exceptions as mentioned in the agreement.
• Conditions of Employment: The wages and conditions of employment should be at least as favorable as those offered to the citizens of the host nation for similar occupations under its law.
• Specific Employment: The worker can be employed only in the occupation that the permit allows. Non-compliance may result in cancellation of the permit.
• Professional Qualification: Workers occupying positions where a certain qualification is required, should possess the same and present the relevant certificate if required.
• Compliance with laws: Workers should abide by the laws of the host nation relating to the employment of the foreign nationals.
• Working Students: There are provisions for some students studying in the host nation to earn money by working out of study time.

Why Does Russia Require Indian Workforce?

There have been labour shortages in Russia in different areas. Based on the data provided by the Russian Ministry of Labour as mentioned in the article from Business Standard, there were 71,000 Indian nationals employed in Russia, especially in construction and textile industries.

There were forecasts of the workforce reaching 100,000 till 2026. The demand for Indian specialists was noted in engineering and electronics