Question by Rain Dog: Was immigration allowed into the Soviet Union and other socialist states?
I’m aware that there is a difference between immigration and emigration and I’m aware that emigration wasn’t easy in the USSR. My question is: was immigrating into the Soviet Union possible? I know that no one in their right mind would have wanted to move there but I’m just curious if getting into the USSR was as hard as getting out.
Answers and Views:
Answer by Badcock
I’m not sure that anyone was dumb enough to have tried.
Read all the answers in the comments.
What do you think?
troutsniff says
You could "defect" to the soviet union, you'd revoke your citizenship and the KGB would give you a good checking out and then bob was your uncle.
Tough Guy says
Lee Harvey Oswald did it but most often it was like Hotel California…you can always check it but you can't check out.
MikeR says
Thousands of people fled the USA for the USSR during the first Red Scare. Some of them set up an autonomous industrial colony in the Kuzbass which was virtually independent in its time but was dissolved during the Five-Year Plans. Most of them left the USSR at that point.
Thomasina Paine says
Don't know about that but India and China don't allow immigration.
Potato says
They build a wall and people could not come in and people could not get out.
Police stop in the street anytime claiming "probable cause" just by the way you look.
Opss sounds familiar!!!
LOLLLL
Matthew D says
Yea, it was hard. You needed to be a loyal comrade(communist), have a skill and preferably should have some propaganda value.