Job Discussion Forums

[chesh]

From what I can tell Russia has changed it's policy on working visas and now you can only get a three month one. This means teachers have to leave the country every 90 days to renew their visa.

Obviously this is going to be very expensive for teachers and/or companies in terms of both money and time.

This has made me a little wary of Russia and so I hope you can help answer some of my questions:
1. Why have they adopted this new policy (1 x 12 month visa = 4 x 3 month visa so what's the difference?)
2. How are language schools dealing with the situation? (I guess they have to cancel classes while teachers are away and who foots the cost)
3. Is this a permanent thing or is the Russian government similar to the Chinese government in that it has the demeanor of a pre-pubescent and once someone gives it a bottle of warm milk and a bedtime story it will calm down.

I can't find any official Russian statements explaining this online so any information or even wild speculation will be gladly received.

[eltie]

Where did you hear this, about Russia changing its working visa policy?

[Sashadroogie]

There have been some changes to the visa policies, but there also seems to be a lot of confusion around what exactly is happening. I can say, first off, that I am no wiser than most. But I'll try to answer your questions the best I can.

1. The difference is that there is talk of having to leave the country for 90 days out of 180, were you to get a visa for longer than 3 months. Only get a 3 monther, and you have to leave the country, go home to your own country and then wait 10 odd days for the processing of a new visa. It has mainly a deterrent value, more than anything else, aimed more at CIS nationals more than EFL workers.

2. Language schools are doing the usual knee-jerk reaction thing they have always done. But, as ever, there are those who know the loop-holes and who have the influence to struggle through. Not sure how though...

As for footing bills, this is a major issue as we speak in schools like BKC, and many staff have left because BKC won't help out financially. Actually, the only real quality advantage that McSchhols had was precisely that they sorted all your visa nonsense out for you. Now, with even that stripped away, there is not much incentive to subject yourself to a chain-gang.. ahem.. chain school ever again.

3. No one knows long-term. Not even the authorities, it seems... Don't waste your time with official statements.


However, as is often the way here, it is still possible to come over, so no need to be too wary just yet.

Good luck.

[Red and white]

To clarify, the 3-month visas are business visas (or an initial, single-entry work visa, extended on arrival).

In theory you were never allowed to actually work for a Russian company on a biz visa, only come here to represent your business to Russian partners / clients etc - the clue is in the name, when you think about it.

But you can get a biz visa more easily than a work visa, which typically requires a work permit, which in turn requires an annual medical test (the guy checking me for syphilis last time did this from the waist up, which I thought was a bit improbable!), proof of relevant qualifications (which now must be apostilled in the country where you studied) and crucially an employer who has an agreed quota of non-Russian staff available each calendar year.

That quota is being cut - there's an economic crisis on and there's a need to protect Russian jobs - and the parallel step is to cut down on people using biz visas as substitute work visas.

In a neat pincer movement, old-style teaching visas, which didn't require a work permit, are also on the way out. This is to ensure that all teachers in the whole Russian education system are properly qualified and don't teach things that aren't popular. When the changes were announced in the summer religious extremism was mentioned as one reason behind it, though it's not thought this was related to the EFL community.

As always, when rules change in Russia nobody is willing to take responsibility for explaining what is now possible. At the moment things are pretty strict, and to work here it's worth finding an employer with a reliable and clued-up visa support section. Official info will be contradictary and unhelpful - it's contacts in the FMS which really count.

One alarming possibility for teachers has been raised: it may be that a university degree in a non-education field plus CELTA or similar won't be enough to earn a work permit. There is little clear idea about whether your degree has to be related to your profession in some way, or how professional training will fit in to the permit process. My guess is a degree in philosophy plus a post-grad education qualification will be fine; philosophy + CELTA might not be. If I'm wrong about this, I have problems of my own in my (non-teaching) job, which is unrelated to my degree in music.

The key thing for any new arrival is confirmation that the post comes with a work visa (not biz or teaching) valid for the length of the contract. If a school can't deliver that, you run the risk of leaving early and potentially failing to recoup end-of-contract benefits, or stumping up for expensive trips to get new visas outside Russia. In better news, work visas and permits can be renewed in Russia with no need to go any further than your friendly visa support manager. Though it took my employer seven weeks from the expiry of my old visa to the delivery of my new one, which was a bit tense ....

[coledavis]

On my last contract, during 2009, you got a three month working visa, then renewable for a year inside the country.

[jpvanderwerf2001]

Cole,
As an Academic Director hoping and praying to get some more foreign staff, your last post interests me greatly.
Where were you when you got this extension? (What city?)
Do you know if it was a local office that extended it? Regional (Krai, Oblast?)? Federal?
I have found, here, that many changes handed out by Moscow either: a) Are ignored locally; or b) Don't go into effect at the same time throughout the country.
Was this your experience? Because, as I understand it upon reading official literature, what you're saying "shouldn't" be happening.
Thanks.

[coledavis]

[jpvanderwerf2001]

Interesting points, Cole. Thank you.
My school is a Licensed Educational Establishment ("non-profit"), not a business. Therefor it would appear that we would have the same possibility to get this type of extension.
I will let our lawyer know about your experience; perhaps she's barking up the wrong tree.
That "humanitarian" visa aspect is an intriguing one. Did the "prepodavartel" visa fall under a humanitarian-like umbrella, I wonder?
Again, cheers for your input.

[coledavis]

[eltie]

I'm thinking about accepting an offer to teach in Moscow, so am concerned about this. Can somebody please post a link to a reputable web site that mentions the change in rules, or the name/number/date of the legislation amending the visa rules, so I or the school can research it? Thanks.

[coledavis]

If you check other threads, I think you'll find that there aren't any definitive pages on this topic. Why don't you ask your prospective employer what visa they are intending to get an invitation for?

[chesh]

After hearing from one employer that only offers a business visa and a visa company that says they can get me a work visa for $10,000, I decided I'm not that desperate to see Russia

One employer also told me that I would have to use half of my annual holiday allowance travelling to get the visa renewed.

Sadly it seems that the government has cracked down and the schools want the teachers to pay.

[kazachka]

[Kilij-Arslan]

I've been working in Russia for nearly years now. My advice to anyone interested- forget it. Even if somehow you manage to get past this shake-down, they can arbitrarily change the rules any time they feel like it- and I guarantee you they will. Don't dignify this pathetic, corrupt, worthless country with your time and money. If you must see Russia, do so as a tourist. Otherwise you'll regret it.

[coledavis]

'Nearly years'?
Leaving that ambiguity aside, please disregard this slur on Russia. I spent a year in Siberia and I don't regret it. I'm still quasiRussianing, in Belarus.