Question by Estelle: How can I get a resident status in Russia? I would like to live there for at least two years…?
One of my options is to be a language student while I teach English or French to earn a living. I would like to go to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, Magadan or Vladivostok. They have less “Western influence” in these cities, as compared to Moscow and St. Petersburg. My late father was from Russia, so I would like to rediscover my roots. Any suggestions?
Answers and Views:
Answer by Dmitry
huh… Do you speak Russian?
You can have problems. The life in Russia is difficult.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_nationality_law
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John says
I don't know why another answered suggest one of those mainly poor Siberian cities – I guess it's irony – but you can contact the Russian Embassy in New York and they'll explain.
Michael says
You should follow the following steps
1. Submitting the set of documents to the internal affairs body of the territory you lawfully stay in Russia
2. Registration of the application by the above bodies and issue of the certificate confirming receipt of the application
3. Consideration of the application by the internal affairs body and sending requests to other bodies of authorities
4. Decision to issue or refuse a temporary residence permit
5. Notification of the Foreigner in writing about the decision (within 1 months from the date the decision was made)
-Michael
Squeaky P says
All three of those cities are extremely unpleasant places to live. Unless your father was in a prison camp, going to Magadan would have very little in common with your father's roots. Perhaps an extended vacation is better for you to start.
goose says
OKAY!
#1 – you MUST know Russian. if you don't stop reading right now, and forget the idea.
basically no one speaks English, apart from young teenagers learning it in school.
#2 – its ridiculously expensive. food costs at least double if not triple of what your used to paying for groceries. If you want to take this job, make sure there is some sort of a subsidies in a contract for the job, as it is easily the most expensive city to live in the world, and a teachers salary would be very hard to live off over there. The food there is not very fresh. I had fish for a week straight before i last went because all the fish there is frozen, unless you want to pay through the roof prices for caviar.
#3 – i had enough trouble in Moscow, let alone less westernized cities such as Vladivostok.
#4 – the traffic is crazy. i lived maybe 13km from the center of Moscow. it can easily get so clogged up that i was stuck in the same spot for 4 hours. let alone another 3 to get back home. make sure you have a good car, with good heating for the winter months.
#5 – they drive like lunatics. You constantly have to be checking around you and in front of you to see because 3 lane roads, easily change into 6 for the Russians. they don't obey road rules…
#6 – the police are bogus. you get busted and you have to cough up the cash right there and then. so basically, you must carry an extra 2000 rubles with you in case the police say you were traveling 5 km more on a road that didn't even have speed limit signs, but was supposedly 80kms.
seriously consider these 6 points, and really, really, REALLY think it through. might be worth a 'trip' first in order to get a grip of how life is there in Moscow.
there are so many other really beautiful places, and I'm sure you feel obliged by your father to do this, but for your own saftey and sound of mind, dont go! dont dont dont dont!
hope i helped
Havi says
I suggest you go visit Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy or Magadan before you make your decision :o))
Vladivostok is the best option of the three, i think. However, Japan is so close…
If you enter a university as a student, i think you won't have problems with russian residence permit. There are thousands of foreign students here.