Job Discussion Forums

[anubistaima]

Ok, here's the deal. I got a job offer in Novosibirsk. The school will hire me for a year but when I got the invitation letter today, it read 3 months.

When I asked the director of the school about it, she said:

"You really don't need a 12-month Multiple Entry visa. After your arriving here we will register you here as a teacher of the school, sign a contract, sign an agreement for renting an appartment and Novosibirsk Visa's Department will prolong your visa here till the end of the validity period of our contract with you. A 12-month Multiple Entry visa is more expensive than a usual one and usually those people apply for it who have a lot of business trips and need to go there and back very often and in order to save time and money they apply for a 12-month Multiple Entry visa and once they have it in their passport they can go abroad and back as many times as they may need within a period of 12 months. That is why you don't need this kind of visa. You just need to apply for the usual one for a period of 90 days as it stands in the invitation."

Now, this seems a little risky to me. Does this sounds credible or should I insist on a new 12-month invitation? Honestly, I'd rather not wait an extra 3 weeks for the process of a new invitation if I can go to Russia and do it while there. Any ideas? Insights? I'm worried about the consequences of taking a risk like this with a security of only 3 months.

[alekto]

Last year when I came in on-contract with an established school, they did the same deal with me. I was suspicious, as the previous year I was just given a 12 month multiple entry visa.

I was *told* that this was because they were actually getting me a proper work permit/visa and so while I would enter with a 90-day tourist visa, they would then take my papers, do all the work and get it sorted out.

However, the result was that it took a long time to get my papers back and whenever I wanted to leave the country, I had to get an exit/entry permit (this only took a few days, but nonetheless was annoying)

On the one hand, it was apparently completely legitimate, not a shady, grey deal. On the other, it meant I spent a long time without my passport and couldn't come and go as I pleased.

Ask them why they're doing it the way they are and what implications it would have for you, regarding things like exit/entry and termination of contract (if you decide to leave early, will you have to leave the country because your visa is tied to your job, or can you stay on for the full 12 months?).

[dajiang]

I think it would be alright.
The 12 month multiple entry is bloody expensive, and if the school can do it this way it'd be way cheaper for them.

However, it'd be impossible for you to leave to other cities without ID, so make sure that you've got the visa before you plan to go somewhere.
Or perhaps you could get somekind of replacement identity card? This way you could go somewhere in weekends.
Surely the school could help here, somekind of Russian ID as a foreign teacher or something.

Russia is still a pain in the a s s regarding visa eh.
It's one reason why I'd rather to go China, where it's a piece of cake.

Good luck,
Dajiang

[waxwing]

double post, apologies

[waxwing]

[alekto]

*You either need a work permit (very difficult to arrange, I haven't heard of any teachers actually getting one...) or a student visa. *

From what I understood they actually got me a work permit Maybe they were lying, but according to tighter company rules they were obliged to. It meant whenever I left the country, I had to let them know and present a copy of my plane ticket, so they could account for my time away (this was to do with tax, it seems).

Hm

[drew881]

I would still want the one year visa for a number of reasons.

One is that if for whatever reason the novosibirsk visa dep (im guessing ministry of internal or foreign affairs) doesnt want to extend your visa, youll have to apply for a new visa in a different country and spend that amount of time there while its being processed....hmm novosibirsk is closest to kazakstahn. Want to go there for a visa? Also, depending on how the job is going at that point, your employer may not be so helpful in getting this extension.

Secondly, when you apply for entry/exit visa if you need to leave the country, youll need dates for when that visa is valid, so your plans have to be pretty certain.

Finally, if you are paying the money, you might as well get the one year visa. It will make things simpler, and later will not hold you back for whatever reason should your plans change.

Since laws are changing all the time, make sure your employer can get you this visa. I was in Ulan-Ude (near irkustsk) and there they would not issue invitations for year long visas, but it is an autonomous republic, but each area can be quirky like that, so good luck.

[drew881]

Oh yeah. Just curious. What kind of pay are you getting in Novosibirsk and what are they offering, housing etc....Also what is your nationality and education?

[zaneth]

I'm in Estonia right now. Just picked up my 90 visa. Was much cheaper. I was a little surprised at first but I trust the university that hired me. After the first three months it is supposed to be ME, after they renew it.
Anyway, I don't usually go anywhere, so single entry is OK for me.

And my visa says "instructor" in Russian, right there on the line for "purpose of entry" so it must be on the up and up.

I've been through in-country renewals before and everything worked out OK. In fact one time there was a hundred dollar bill folded up between my passport and passport cover when I sent it off with the secretary to OVIR. And it came back. I remembered about it after I'd sent it off. This was not a deliberate test of their honesty.