M-LEGAL CLIENT REPORT: PENALTY FROM MIGRATION AUTHORITIES CANCELLED

A client of M-Legal, German constructor of gas facilities, has received a penalty of 400.000 rubles (approx. 4.500 euro) from Russian migration authorities.
In accordance with the law, companies that engage so-called “highly qualified specialists” i.e. foreign employees with monthly salary exceeding 167.000 rubles (approx. 1800 euro) are obliged to file regular reports on the salary actually paid to these employees.
A minor error was omitted while drafting a report – two letters were typed in one box (normally each letter shall be in a separate box). It sounds nonsense, but the migration authority considered this a violation and imposed a significant penalty. 
On behalf of the client M-Legal has started a litigation in the State Arbitration Court of St. Petersburg. The penalty was announced illegal and cancelled by the court.
We strongly recommend all our clients to be extremely alert and careful with reporting – a minor error may entail a significant penalty. It is always a good idea to engage a professional lawyer for making and filing reports to Russian authorities.