The paper discusses recent initiatives undertaken by the Russian Government that are aimed to attract highly qualified foreign academic specialists to Russian higher education institutions. It describes the initiatives in chronological order and reviews their first results. It reviews governmental legislations that are regulating various aspects of residence and employment of foreign academic employees in the Russian Federation, i.e. procedures for obtaining working visa and citizenship, country’s entry and exit regulations, migration registration etc. It also identifies difficulties faced by Russian universities and invited foreign academic specialists in the process of labor relations, traveling and living in Russia. The experience of the National Research University Higher School of Economics in organizing international recruiting of foreign academic specialists from the international labor market and organizing their work in Russia through providing them support and motivating them is described. The paper analyses the employment practices of academic specialists in the United States of America, Canada, the Chinese People's Republic, the South Korea and Turkey. Best practices of attracting highly qualified international academic specialists in foreign countries are identified.

Recommendations are made about necessary steps that should be undertaken by Russian government and universities to attract more highly qualified foreign academic specialists into Russian universities and provide them comfortable working and living conditions. It will permit not only attract, but also retain foreign experts through providing them with internationally competitive salaries, conditions for effective cultural adaptation and assimilation. Russian universities should develop international and open environment to facilitate the involvement of foreign experts in university’s activities and stimulate cooperation of Russian and foreign academics.