Job Discussion Forums

waxwing · Joined: 29 Jun 2003 Posts: 719 Location: China

I don't know how many of you out there work on what kind of visa, and how legal you are (or think you are!)..

but if you're working on a ME business visa you might really want to read this thread on expat.ru:

http://www.expat.ru/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=10762

Coming to Russia one tends to get the impression that one has to 'play the system'. Those who know a little of the history of the oligarchs in Russia probably remember the endless discussions about the 'rules of the game'.
Well it's just the same for everyone in Russia, not just oligarchs, and that goes double for foreigners: you have to try to figure out the rules of the game. Trouble is, they change. As in every day.

Communist Smurf · Joined: 24 Jun 2003 Posts: 330 Location: San Francisco

Get a student visa. They ARE legal, as long as you actually are studying somewhere. That doesn't mean you need to show up for class though (but you also don't need to study full-time). Other benefits: You DON'T need a work permit if you have a student visa. You're entitled to certain discounts such as cheaper public transportation, cheaper tickets to certain events or museums, cheap medical insurance if you use ISIC, and finally, the invitation is FREE.

One (minor) catch: Your sponsoring school will not register you until you have paid your tuition. I don't think you need to take one step inside OVIR either as your school takes care of it.

CS

waxwing · Joined: 29 Jun 2003 Posts: 719 Location: China

Well, I think your advice is quite sound. But you do have to pay your tuition, which presumably is not like $10 or something.

The guy in that thread didn't step inside OVIR either. But they still kept his passport.

In general, the problem is: schools often don't make you 100% legal, and usually don't pay all the tax which they strictly speaking should. The rules are unclear, change regularly, and nobody sticks to them.

If you want to be independent of a school, it's tremendously difficult. Get a 12 month ME, pay a ton of money for it, and then get royally screwed like that guy in that thread was. Or, sure, get a student visa. Pay tuition unnecessarily. Then fart around all day with landlords, DEZ and all that **** trying to get your ass covered in all directions. And then find out 2 months later that it's wrong or changed Rolling Eyes

Good luck! Very Happy

zaneth · Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2004 2:35 pm Post subject:

Oh for a nice residence permit, so I could just live with my wife and daughter and not worry. Registration is the hang up. Russia's only a little out of the days when serfs were owned by their landlords. And after registration? Spend more than 3 days in another region and risk a run in with the cops? Yikes.