The list of professions that foreign citizens will be unable to hold is planned to be expanded in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug of Russia, starting from January 1, 2027. According to the new rules, migrants will be prohibited from working in bakeries, warehouses, order pickup points, as well as in the spheres of culture and sports.
The Governor of KhMAO-Yugra, Ruslan Kukharuk, announced these changes. The regional government specified that the total number of sectors closed to foreigners will increase from 27 to 30. At the same time, the authorities emphasized that the goal of these measures is primarily to ensure employment for the local population.
Despite the tightening of rules, local authorities do not intend to completely exclude foreign labor, as there remains a need for specialists in the oil and gas and construction industries in Yugra. Nevertheless, the priority remains protecting the interests of Yugra residents and ensuring their compliance with Russian legislation.
A trend of decreasing migration inflow has been observed in the region: over nine months of 2026, the number of arriving migrants decreased by almost 23% compared to the previous year. Simultaneously, there was a sharp increase in the number of deported foreigners—the indicator rose from 343 people in 2025 to over 2.1 thousand in 2026.
Ruslan Kukharuk also mentioned that previously the authorities faced situations where foreigners came to Yugra with the aim of receiving increased social benefits, which even led to advice appearing on social networks.
The region continues to tighten social norms: in December 2025, deputies of the Okrug Legislative Assembly restricted foreigners' ability to receive a one-time payment of 20 thousand rubles under the 'Grow in Yugra' program, establishing the requirement of Russian citizenship and registration in the okrug.
Furthermore, it should be noted that the launch dates of the new federal system for hiring labor migrants in Russia could potentially be postponed from January to March 2027. This system will require foreigners to register in a special registry and work exclusively for a specific employer.
