Job Discussion Forums

ColdRodear · Joined: 28 Aug 2006 Posts: 36 Location: St Petersburg

I am getting ready to do this work/study program in Russia. The school that I will be studying Russian at say that if I want a Business visa I will have to get it on my own. They do however send Invitations for a Student Visa.
So, I have to find an agency that will send me an Invitation now.
I think that I could be in Russia longer than 6 months so I was not sure if a Student visa would be the best way to go as I will probably not be studying at the school the whole time. I may end up teaching somewhere or doing something else. How long will they issue a students visa for anyway?
Actually I have heard of someone getting an Invitation sent from a university and then just using it to apply for a Business Visa! Has anyone else.

BTW, I will be getting the visa in the USA but am planning on using my Australian or New Zealand passport rather than my USA one because there are more questions on the USA/Russia visa application and I thought that it may be easier these days to travel on a passport other than a US one.

So, do you think that it is better to travel on 1 year multiple entry business visa than a students visa or not?

BELS · Joined: 24 Mar 2005 Posts: 402 Location: Moscow

I might be wrong in this subject. But as far as I can understand you are not working legally in Russia unless you get the invitation from the school itself.

I would choose schools carefully, does the school have a reputation of paying its teachers at all ? Will you be provided with travelling expenses, assistance with visa and invitation, and free accomadation?

As a first time visiter I would be very careful about which school you choose

ColdRodear · Joined: 28 Aug 2006 Posts: 36 Location: St Petersburg

You misunderstand. The school only teaches Russian Language, no English. For some of their students they can arrange, with other schools that teach English, positions for teachers to teach English. Just a few hours a week. The money earned as a teacher goes to help pay for their Russian classes. It is possible to get more teaching hours once in Russia, they say, but I would have to do this on my own. So,the school I will be studying Russian at can only issue a Students Invitation.

I have decided to go with the Business Visa and just get it on my own. I was just wondering if anyone has heard anything about this school. The Derzhavin Institute in St Petersburg.

BELS · Joined: 24 Mar 2005 Posts: 402 Location: Moscow

Ok, perhaps I misunderstand. One more question, you will need an invitation for your business visa. Who is going to invite you. If you were going for a student visa would the school invite you?

BELS · Joined: 24 Mar 2005 Posts: 402 Location: Moscow

Try Liga consultants for the full service including the invitation if you need one.

Vadim Rybakov, Liga Consulting 978 15 29.

I have used it and I think you will find te services recommended by many expats in Moscow.

ColdRodear · Joined: 28 Aug 2006 Posts: 36 Location: St Petersburg

BELS · Joined: 24 Mar 2005 Posts: 402 Location: Moscow

I wou;ld be interested in hearing of your comparison. The agency I have given appears to be the unanimous favourite from the forum expat.ru.

I tried it and I was pleased of their service and the quality of the invitation. The invitation must be genuine which is important for me in applying for a temporary residential visa.

I am just wondering why

BELS · Joined: 24 Mar 2005 Posts: 402 Location: Moscow

You say you may work at times. Legally you should be invited by the employer. However many expats do use agencies and get any invitation to work wherever they like. I think they usually get away with it.

ColdRodear · Joined: 28 Aug 2006 Posts: 36 Location: St Petersburg

Actually, I never thought that Business Visas were legal for working on anyway.

Well, the prices for the Invitations are on the website that I gave. I will have to call your guy in order to find out his prices unless you can tell me from memory.

mdk · Joined: 09 Jun 2007 Posts: 425

You must me careful to get a situation where you can register your visa.

I got a business visa, but went through OVIR hell trying to get it registered in Tomsk. The issuing company could arrange registration in Moscow, but Tomsk was an entirely different matter.

So if you are going out into the sticks, I suggest you take this into careful consideration.

ColdRodear · Joined: 28 Aug 2006 Posts: 36 Location: St Petersburg

Hmmm....I have found an issuing company in St Petersburg which is where I will be doing the work/study programme. So, hopefully, if I have any problems with OVIR, I will have both the school I will be studying at and the issuing agency to assist me.

Actually, my next hurdle is to get some type of health insurance to show the Russian Consulate in San Francisco. I don't have any health insurance because I can't afford it, I haven't had it for years. A local travel agent that I have been using, STA, who have been helpful in the past in finding me cheap flights with open return dates for students and teachers, offer me reasonable travel insurance that includes hospital/medical. I was thinking of buying a few moths of coverage. Does anyone think that this would satisfy the Russian Consulate in San Francisco?

PS: I don't have any coverage through my Australian social medical scheme anymore because I have been gone for so long. Otherwise I could have just photocopied my card and sent it to them.

mdk · Joined: 09 Jun 2007 Posts: 425

Last time I went out in 2006 I carried a years worth of Health Insurance which I bought from the American Youth Hostel Association. It cost me about $450 and said it would pay to evac me to the states. I think it carried about $20,000 in local health benefits which I never used.

When I bust my arm in Tomsk in 2004, the school sent me to polyclinic # 7. The municipal hospital set if for free. I ended up paying $5 for some salve.

On the other hand I had to shell out 900 rubles for my flu shot in Moscow.

The AYH doesn't care how old you are.

Randyco02 · Joined: 17 May 2007 Posts: 1

If you were to travel to Russia with your American Passport you wouldn't need to have insurance. I got a one year business visa without insurance.

ColdRodear · Joined: 28 Aug 2006 Posts: 36 Location: St Petersburg

Really? The question is on the visa application for use by Americans. Which Russian consulate did you use?

ColdRodear · Joined: 28 Aug 2006 Posts: 36 Location: St Petersburg

Woo hoo! I finally got a reply email back from the russian embassy.........after 2 weeks. And wouldn't you know it, they told me in my case, though advisable, insurance was not necessary. That's funny, the girl on the phone at the embassy told me that I needed it anyway, just a few days ago. Now I have two conflicting answers from them. I'm just going to buy some cheap travel insurance for a few months and be done with it!