(Note: this post is not the advice of a qualified specialist, who knows all the details about immigration to Russia and the laws that govern this process. Both the process and the laws may change, and I might also be mistaken in describing some of the details, since I submitted documents for residency over a year and a half ago. I’m writing this post to give people a fairly realistic idea of what it takes to immigrate to Russia.)
America and the rest of the western world seem to be going to hell in a hand basket, and you’d love to do something about it. Unfortunately, because you probably have (relatively speaking) zero influence on the hearts and minds of nations, and next to no power economically, politically or militarily, there is really nothing you can do about the Occident’s highly disagreeable trajectory. Realising this state of affairs should lead you to two broad avenues of future thought and action: remaining in place and adapting as circumstances dictate, or leaving and relocating to places far, far away. One of these often-mentioned far-off places is Russia, and, as a Canadian who has immigrated to Russia and currently lives in St. Petersburg, I would like to shed some light on the main challenges you’ll face, should you decide to join me: finding employment, learning the language and adapting to the culture, and dealing with the bureaucratic process of obtaining residency.
Unlike Europe’s approach to welcoming Arabic and African immigrants, Russia demands that foreigners planning to stay in the country for long periods of time have work visas and proven sources of taxable income. What that means for you is that you need to find a Russian employer or business partners who are willing to support you with a work visa. In practice, this is not so easy, since the Russian system is set up to protect Russian workers, and there are quotas on work visas, especially for positions that could be filled by Russians. Also, your Russian employer will have to make a substantial effort to get you into the country, since they will have to interface with Russia’s bureaucratic migration offices, wait for hours in queues, fill in application forms on your behalf, etc. Your employer really has to need you to be in the country for the whole process to work, which brings up another point: why you? You, as a westerner, probably don’t know Russian (a real disadvantage in all contexts, since only a small minority of Russians speak English fluently), and for all job positions you’re in competition with Russian people, who are at least as capable and educated as you are. So, what advantage are you bringing to Russia? In my context, I found work teaching English, which is in decent economic demand. But, if you follow in my footsteps, be prepared that your labour will be exploited for years with little profit to you, and you might not like teaching work, or even get hired in the first place (depending on your personal character or qualifications).
Let’s be optimistic and say that, glory to God, you found something you can do in Russia, obtained a work visa (not a big challenge, once you get a letter of invitation from your future employer, but the process takes a few months), flew over here, and have the basics of life and work satisfactorily settled out. Your next challenge, and it’s a difficult and lengthy one, is learning the Russian language and adapting to Russian culture and mentality. Russian is an incredibly complex language to learn, several orders of magnitude more so than Spanish, French, or German. You’ll also have to learn it in your own time- you have full time work during the day, presumably using the English language, and you have to make time on your own for Russian. The Russian language has three genders of nouns, six different cases (that modify the endings of nouns and adjectives, depending on how and with which verbs they’re used in sentences), perfective and imperfective forms of verbs, reflexives, as well as different pronunciation and sentence structure, compared to English. Looking at Russian, you might be intimidated by the Cyrillic alphabet, but that’s actually the least of your worries, since many letters are analogous to the Latin alphabet and the others are just a matter of memorisation. People generally say that I’m good with languages (although I do not consider myself excellent in this sphere), and in my first year I was completely lost with Russian- nothing was understandable around me. After one year I could hold a very simple conversation about easy topics. After two years, I could converse fluently, although with simple vocabulary and many grammatical mistakes. At this point in time I started to work with a tutor, and after three years I had something around an intermediate level in Russian. Four years into my stay and I was most of the way through War and Peace, with an upper-intermediate level. Now my level is approaching advanced (which is what’s required for professional work positions here), although some days are better or worse. With consistent study and practice, I’d expect most people to be able to follow a similar line of progress.
You might be asking, «Why would I need the Russian language in the first place, if I already have a work position in Russia?». Well, without Russian, you’re tied to the benevolence and support of your employer, you won’t be able to deal with immigration procedures on your own, and you also won’t be able to interface with Russian society. Russia’s greatest asset and gift to the rest of the world is its people and culture, both past and present, and to be able to read and converse with people here is key to personal and professional growth. Learning the language will also go a long way in helping you to understand differences in mentality, between Russians and the residents of your home country. In my own experience, comparing Russians and Canadians, Russians are more curious (they ask «why?» and «for what?» very often), are very direct in expressing their thoughts (somewhat like my Irish grandmother), and have different standards of behaviour, especially between men and women (analogous to 1950’s North America). The differences go much deeper than that though, and to really get to the roots of them you’d have to come to terms with Plato and Aristotle, Greek and Latin Christianity, and more than two thousand years of history and civilisational influences.
So, assuming you’ve made it so far- you’ve got work here, you’ve learned Russian to working proficiency, and you’ve got friends (maybe you’ve even started a family!) in Russia. The next step is getting residency. No, it’s not so simple as just marry a Russian and get citizenship! Marriage will get you around the quota restriction for temporary residency, but that’s it. Getting temporary residency is a bureaucratic nightmare. First, you need to spend three years living in Russia on work visas, before you can even apply. Then, the application form itself is long and detailed, and you need to provide details about your work, finances, and family. You’ll need to get a criminal record check done in your home country, which will then have to be stamped by the Russian Embassy in your country, and then it will all have to be translated by a certified translator and notarised in Russia. You’ll also need to pass a knowledge test, about the Russian language (relatively easy) and about Russia’s history (moderately difficult) and political and legal system (hard). Some of the documents that you need as part of your application are also time-sensitive and expire after a couple of months, adding another layer of complexity to the process.
Once you’ve collected all the documents, you need to go to the regional migration center, sign up as part of a very long queue of prospective immigrants (many of whom are from central Asian or Caucasian countries, or from Ukraine), maintain your place in the queue for as much as two days, then go yet again to the migration center at 5am, wait in the queue until they open, get a ticket as part of an electronic queue, wait another several hours for your turn, then go to a window where an unpleasant woman is waiting to look at your documents. She will look them through, tell you what’s not correct (I hope you know Russian or have a good friend with you at this point- she won’t tell you more than once), and you will go away disappointed. You’ll then spend a week or more fixing things in your application form or documents, so that everything is just perfect. You’ll wake up early, return again, wait in queues, and if you’ve done everything right your documents will be accepted. Then, you have to wait for six months, and hopefully then you’ll get a new visa and residency stamp in your passport, which lets you stay in Russia without a work visa. Following your success with bureaucracy, you’ll have to find out where you can be registered- everyone needs to have a stamp in their passport with registration at a certain house or apartment. This requires the help of a friend, and another trip to yet another migration services office.
That whole bureaucratic process is important because it gives you tangible freedom- you are no longer tied to an employer, you can switch jobs or start your own business as you like. One very nice fact about living in Russia is the low cost of living, compared with western countries. Here, it’s realistic to work hard and save up money for five years or so, then buy an apartment with little or no help from the banks. I can’t say that coming to Russia is going to make you successful and rich, or that your life will be easier here with fewer problems than in your home country, but by coming here, learning Russian, and dealing with immigration procedures, a whole new world will open up for you. What becomes of you in that new world all depends on your own character, curiosity, drive and imagination.
Kind regards,
Nick Byrne
Wow kudos to you and your resolute perseverance.
I wish you every success and happiness in beautiful Russia. I hope we hear more from you about your adventures there, as you say, the people and the culture and also please, the food and the gardens, forests etc
The videos, movies, music and stories linked at the Vineyard Cafe are endlessly fascinating to me
Thank You for this chapter of your Adventure Nick
Hi, I enjoyed reading this. You write “…my level is approaching advanced….although some days are better or worse.”
So I’m not the only one who finds that there are days when you can be quite fluent in a second language, and other days much less so.
When I am studying a new language I find I can focus for about an hour and make progress, but after a while I have to let it go and regenerate the needed energy. I recommend learning songs if you are so inclined. It helps long-term retention of what you’ve picked up. I only learned one song in Thai, but I find the language comes back to me even after two years right about where I left off. (I learned about a hundred Russian songs and can strike up conversations with Russians when I encounter them.)
Thank you Nick.
Do you think it could be easier to emigrate to less populous areas, like the far Eastern states, or up North? How about religious enthusiasts? Orthodoxy is Russia. And surely true believers will find a home more readily? Any thoughts?
In terms of ease of immigration, I’m not sure where would be easier. Vladivostok is developing quite well and I wouldn’t be surprised if they have room for qualified immigrants. But, if you go to less populous areas or up north, you’ll still need something to do there, that earns you an income and gives the government taxes. On the topic of believers- the Russian state is officially secular and religious belief doesn’t factor in to migration decisions. Being Orthodox will help a bit with becoming familiar and at home culturally, although be prepared that church services are conducted in Church Slavonic.
Their is something fundamentally wrong w/the western life style, and the basic problem is the cost of living and the side effects from it. Its always been less expensive to live in Russia going back many decades, even century’s, and it is a shame that this is not brought up by anyone at any point in times past. You can ask why and the answer is probably a militaristic one and all the costs associated with that pesky problem.
If I had the opportunity to temper the military, I would surely take it, the egos might be bruised but the nation as a whole could start to heal rather than continue to hemorage money into the bottomless militaristic money pit.
“hemorage money into the bottomless militaristic money pit.”
There is an expression concerning boat ownership, “A boat is hole in the water you throw money into”.
War is a hole in the World into which they throw your blood and your treasure.
If a boat required a blood sacrifice, it would take some heavy promotion to convince normal people to buy one.
Thanks for sharing. I think this may come as a surprise to Americans, who are used to there being very few immigration restrictions: many other countries do not have such open borders. I remember researching this in the late 2000s after I graduated from college. What does it actually take to move to Russia (or work there)? A lot! I decided not to do it, because the only useful skill that I had was the ability to teach English. And I really had no desire to become a teacher (either at home or abroad). I also have some distant relatives that live in Siberia, but I did not want to badger them into helping me move there.
Radio Yerevan : If US would know the future,half of American citizens would run into the world…
Russia should be better prepared to ease the bureaucratic process of granting visas,work permits,citizenship to all the ” white supremacists ” that western world try to get rid of them or turn them into a very low cast ( class ). Christians,university graduates, middle class people,normal and wise people all over the world (whites and non-whites ).
If they can not get a work permit,maybe they can go to the far east ( East Rush ),getting a piece of land and starting a new life. They can build American,French,South African,Scandinavian,East European,Syrian,etc… villages at first and then integrating with the Russian language and culture,faith and local people.It can solve the demographic issue in Russia ( and others issues…). Just dreaming !
I believe you miss the point, slightly. The whole reason why the immigration process is so complex is not because of bureaucratic inertia, but because it was designed this way – to prevent uncontrolled immigration (which, BTW, is a very hot topic these days in both EU and USA). I find it kind of ironic – during the soviet times it was next to impossible to leave USSR; today – it’s next to impossible to become russian citizen.
The relative value of state citizenship (or anything) is determined by the availability and the effort required to obtain it.
ESSU and USSA are not so valuable. Societies in a rush to collapse.
Russia and Japan are valuable.
“Russia should be better prepared to ease the bureaucratic process of granting visas,work permits,citizenship to all the ” white supremacists that western world try to get rid of them or turn them into a very low cast”
You are talking about a country that has suffered the most by such people and ideology. Also you may need to document yourself about the multi-nationality, multi-ethnic and multi-religious nation of Russia.
He is talking about a country that has suffered the most by such people and ideology, and a country that has its own sordid history of vicious persecution of “The Other”.
I hope Nick’s remark about Canada’s “social experiment” isn’t code for expressing a derisive attitude towards multi-ethnic states, which have been common throughout the history of empire and nation states. Seeking Racial Purity is seeking Utopia. I hope I didn’t compliment someone who subscribes to such malicious nonsense. I would not bring it up if none of the Saker’s writers and commenters subscribed to such nonsense.
There are many perspectives on race and religion expressed here. I’m just adding one more comment to assert that I do not subscribe to the neo-nazism so popular among some sections of the Americas’, and West and East European populations.
Fascinating read, and well done Nick on your perseverance and sticking at it. I almost envy you actually down here in Melbourne, Australia, where it’s just…. Ugh. Hedonism and narcissism run rampant, a real vicious attitude towards the homeless or those mired in poverty, a smug, sense of entitled arrogance amongst the chattering middle class (espec those better off) a shop to you drop mentality (usually at one of the mega Westfield Malls) and lots of overseas holidays. Most couldn’t give a rats fig what’s happening in Yemen or Syria. You’re right Nick, the West is going to hell in a hand basket. Thanks for your story.
But just wait, Gezzah, for the time when the whole stinking house of cards collapses. My God, it will be horrific. I am practising compassion as best I can, for the time, soon, probably starting this summer when the scum-oops, very uncompassionate-those poor, misguided, souls, in Queensland who voted for coal and God-bothering and against Life on Earth, suffer deepening drought, record temperatures, megafires, cyclones or floods, or some combination thereof. Have you noticed just how increasingly vicious the regime has got since their ‘miracle'(I’m still convinced that it was rigged, somehow)victory in the election? That Pharisee Morrison, the child-torturer of refugee children in detention, and enemy of the poor and weak, is starting to gibber about his ‘God’ and his ‘prayers’ in public. The so-called Reconciliation Referendum, always a set-up to ‘incentivise’ the Liberal’s racist ‘heartland’, lasted less than 24 hours before the racists attacked it with fury, the ABC is more biased, particularly in the insane intensity of its hatred and vilification of China, than ever, the Liberals are moving to not just not create National Parks in NSW, but cancel their declaration and open them for logging, marine reserve systems are being destroyed to please the aquatic bogans the ‘recreational fishers'(and the fishing industry, of course)etc-a full Trumpian assault on Life on Earth. And Albanese, a typical Labor rat in training, is groveling at Morrison’s feet when that scum-bag has a bare majority, thereby driving public life ever further Right. Poor feller my country. But it’s just Nemesis and Bad Karma having their due.
Love your comments Mulga! No beating round the bush with you… When the whole ponzi scheme house of cards collapses, as it will, there will be many many oblivious people in the West, and espec here in Australia who will go into deep shock. Its going to be very ugly mate. Have been keeping an eye on Deutsche Bank the last week or so. If it goes, it’ll be like a domino effect. I love the Sakers indepth analysis, as well as stories from guests like Nick Byrne above, Denis Conroy, etc, but won’t be looking at the new story just posted or commenting. There are gay people (like me) who totally oppose Imperialism and the Anglo Zionist Empire, and feel disgust at what is being done to the Palestinians or Yemeni’s. We’re not all mincing down streets in drag. Totally unfair to lump all gay people in the same boat. Now I am commenting on it. Anyway, thanks for your reply.
That’s OK, Gezzah. We’re all in this life-boat together, before Fate throws us overboard to feed the fishies. It’s the piranha on board that we have to look out for. And the sleeping passengers who’ll spend the whole trip oblivious to everything.
very interesting – thanks Nick – really great to learn all this – if I was younger and had no other life to think of except my own – I would do it – you’re very brave…but really ? Its the way to go – I always think to myself that if there was a war – I’m on the wrong side…or at least living on the wrong side of the war…
do they provide services for help in migration procedures (ilke they do in Australia) or do you have to do it on your own as part of the hazing? They’re right (and in their own right) being though on migration policiies though.
When you say work hard, save 5 years and buy an appartment, is it based on your experiecne in Peter?
Can one expetc the same type of remuneration as in canada or western europe and be able to buy some 2-3 bed unit in inner Peter?
Rgds
fabien
There are no services provided for anyone in the immigration process beyond what you can find and read on the internet for various government agencies involved in same. Attorneys can be hired to help you through the maze but the fee is not small. The smallest black mark on your past history and forget it, you won’t get in unless you are quite wealthy. You will have to do a lot of the leg work yourself, your attorney will tell you which document is needed from where, but for most part it’s up to you to stand in line to get the document. Of course many attorneys will have the leg work done for you, at substantial fees, but for many documents, to receive them you yourself have to present the application for the doc with your ID and you yourself has to pick it up when ready with your ID or go to agency if there is a problem and solve the problem. If you have a ‘full service’ attorney, he will send a minion with you to help with the leg work. You’ll pay for that, too, of course.
You will receive precisely zero ‘social benefits’ irregardless of how your personal financial status may change during the process, in other words the government will not give you a kopek for anything. Period. If you need medical treatment, you are on your own in regards to payment until you get your residency. The good thing is medicines are quite inexpensive here and top quality. Why? We don’t have ambulance chasing attorneys or attorneys making vast sums by suing for instance Bayer because you were dumb enough to overdose on aspirin.
It is not ‘hazing’, it is Russian Bureaucracy. If you want to understand Russian Bureaucracy, and to a great extent her culture, study Byzantium. Russia is the heir to that culture.
You will not get the remuneration you would get in EU or Canada. Cost of living is much lower here, but talking about St. Petersburg and Moskau, both are large areas and Moskau is patently huge. As with anywhere, real estate is to a fair point ‘location, location location’. Getting a ‘2-3 bed unit’ in inner St Pete, you better have substantial finances. Don’t even think of ‘financing’ houses, flats, cars or anything else. It’s a cash society here for the most part except for the upper crust, said upper crust not being in need of ‘financing’. Interest rates for financing are anywhere from 8% on up to 20%. Credit cards are not the norm, 99.999% of ‘credit cards’ are prepaid cards, IOW you have to put the actual money on the card, it will almost never be linked to whatever bank account you have. Don’t pay your cell or house phone bill? It’s shut off the next day at 00:01. Ditto with other utilities. If you do finance something, or if you owe fines or fees to any government agency, you can not leave Russia until said financing and/or fees is paid. Again, this little foible does not apply to the upper crust.
Oh yeah, one more little detail. VAT is 20% on most everything except foods and medicines and even some of those, processed foods ready to eat, have VAT.
All this aside, life here ain’t bad at all.
Auslander
What if you buy property in Russia and rent it out? Would this count as taxable income? I’ve spent a decent amount of time in Russia and have some family there and totally prefer and feel more at home than in the US even though my Russian sucks pretty bad. I don’t have any higher education credentials besides a high school diploma so I doubt I can ever get hired for teaching for a teaching position.
My kids in second year uni, he’s taking Programing and Linguistics. If you passed English in high school you have the were with all to teach English in a forigen country. Go back to school, take English language and Linguistics. Many countries have programs to bring in ESL teachers. My kid says he’s going to Japan. Never doubt what you can do, life is too short.
My daughter taught English I japan for 3 years. The minimum requirement was that you had to have a degree.
In theory, a person could buy property in their home country, rent it out, and live on the money in Russia assuming they had a person at home to manage the property.
I haven’t spent any time in Russia, but I hope to soon and have even considered emigrating, but my lack of information has kept me from getting very far. I don’t speak a lick of Russian, but I have the will and knack to learn and am willing to put in the time/effort. While I have no professional credentials either, I do have a source of income coming from America about, $1,000 per month…
Is that enough to live there without having to work?
If it is, I could focus on learning the language full time and, hopefully, pick it up faster.
Also, I would like to know which parts of Russia are most ideal for American/Western expats, for whatever reason (e.g. friendly locals, cool place in general, climate, etc.). I have been looking at Saint Petersburg or the Black Sea coast.
Hi Liz, yes, you could do it. What might work would be to get a TEFL (English teaching qualification), then get someone to hire you here for the visa and some nominal income. Try to find part-time work, about 10-15 academic hours a week (2-3 hours, including preparation, per day). You’ll have the work visa, about 80,000 roubles a month (60,000 from the USA and 20,000 from the language school), and that’s more than enough to rent a good apartment and support yourself in St. Petersburg.
St. Petersburg is probably the best place for western expats, although Moscow can work well if you particularly enjoy earning money and traveling. The Black Sea coast is nice too, but the only things happening there are tourism and some wine production. People in St. Petersburg are considered to be the most polite and “cultured” (occasionally snobbish), residents of Moscow are workaholics (corporate slaves), and denizens of the Black Sea coast are a mix of Russians and various Caucasian nationalities (full of life, but talk and promise more than they end up doing).
While traveling across Russia, I also had good impressions of other cities, notably Kazan, Ekaterinburg, Krasnoyarsk, Blagoveschensk, and Vladivostok. Russia is developing, not only in Moscow and St. Petersburg. So, your choice of places to be is quite broad.
Hal Freeman has a blog detailing his experiences moving to a Luga, a small city not far from St. Petersburg.
He had previously lived in St. Petersburg, married a Russian woman, then moved back to the States. Eventually, they found that they forsaw a better future culturally for their children in Russia, and moved to Luga, where his wife’s parents live.
Thank you Nick for that first hand, personal perspective of immigration and integration into Russian society.
The work visa sure sounds arduous.
Do you know anything about the Investor visa ie would the process be easier if one intended investing certain amounts into Russian business or investment schemes eg 100k, 500k, or 1 million USD+?
Thanks again.
Regards
Ross
I do not know about the investor visa. If you’re curious, my suggestion would be to get any type of visa, come to Russia, then go with a Russian friend to the UFMS (migration services) office, and pay for a consultation there. Based on your own individual situation, they’ll tell you what’s required of you to apply for temporary residency. Good luck!
I have not read the entire article above, but as someone who holds a doctoral degree, has built / is continuously building contacts around the world, and is in the process of starting several businesses, I would like to give my two cents about moving to any country you want, including for example Russia.
Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending from who’s position you are looking from) we are living in a time in history where a person who holds a Western passport, for example a Canadian, EU or US citizenship, has much more freedom of movement internationally speaking, compared to many other (including untouchable/unwanted) nationalities. To be frank, this gives people a serious head start in the processing of choosing where to live on the planet.
Now as a Westerner (this is the example we are look at now), in order to really open up opportunities to live wherever you want, you should either:
(1) do something that takes advantage of your Western position / background, thereby making you needed by a non-Western country, like Russia. For example, like the author mentioned, teaching English as a fluent or native speaker, hell you could even teach German or French, for example.
(2) having a job or income that does not require you to be physically present in a specific geographic location, like blog writing, editing, web-design, even programming. Every once in a while you would probably still want to physically meet with clients if your bored or looking at them through Skype.
(3) have or build a certain skill that gives you the opportunity to be needed by anyone or any country in the world. There are many skills, including the ones mentioned in point (2) that are needed.
(4) and the most powerful option is a combination of the above, meaning doing something that everyone needs while taking advantage of your Western related position/skill/knowledge. An example is a business or sales developer who is able to connect Russian businesses and products to Western markets through language, communication and the required basic cultural knowledge of your target market. I know people who literally sell internationally containers full with used mobile phones for their rare earth minerals, to people who sell civilian helicopters or software internationally. I even made friends with a German who sells used clothes to the Middle-East. These people are based in multiple countries and even have multiple residencies, some even acquire multiple nationalities. Most of them do not even own their own businesses.
Also as of writing, and I speak from first hand experience, there are in certain fields, still Western skills and levels of knowledge that the Russians and Chinese have not reached yet. However they are quickly catching up and trying to acquire these skills and knowledge from the West, which isn’t difficult to do if you have the drive, vision, strategy and money to do so. It isn’t rocket science lol, or in some cases it is ;-).
What we also are witnessing is the power of connectivity and the internet, where someone in Kabul, Afghanistan or Uruguay can come up with an innovative solution to a problem that is instantly communicated or sold and that makes their idea and knowledge needed in a matter of months around the world.
You still need a visa, you can’t just work remotely from Russia without one. You have 2 options:
– marrying
– student visa: you are then compelled to attend classes and pay tuition fees
Wow, thank you for the data and for making it very factual, and with no negative emotions… Truely a lot of work which only a person with a huge purpose, persistence, will power will be able to do… and probably one a lot younger than me …. WELL DONE… Nick Byrne.
“Knowledge about Russia’s history and political and legal system”. Wow, these requirements do suck for me, because I enjoy my own interpretation of “his-story” and “legal rules”. Very hard to swallow in my case.
My life plan indeed continues in the Rodina, more precisely in Skolkovo technopark, where I will try to start my own Biz and “make it big”. Not sure if formal citizenship is required when being your own boss. I know in Russia if you are good at your own commercial activity, you can get quite rich. And your quality of life will improve dramatically: Moscow is in the the middle of the most relevant geographic places in Eurasia, so you can spend your vacations in Thailand, and next, in Prague, and next in Dubai (viable voyages with even a moderate income).
In most of Russia, weather seriously gets in the way, so you will feel it like a huge restriction, specially if you come from tropical lands, like me. And I do prefer places with a milder climate and with sea access, where you can actually swim, and with a balance between nature and urban facilities & services, so this means: Sochi, or Anapa, or Crimea…
But factually, the power center is Moskva, so living there is kind of inevitable. And when Puting can no longer keep things running, what will the usual zioghouls will be able to do?
latinoamericano
Your arrogance is exceeded only by your hubris.
Auslander
Thank you for the informative take you had. Well done on your part.
Thank you very much for sharing this, Nick. Your perseverance and determination are impressive!
What this blog post sheds light on — apart from Russia’s immigration policies — is that Russia is in the process of replacing the rotting West as the place people look to for advice, for international cooperation, for business/work opportunities, for a better life. I can imagine the sense of amusement among Russia’s citizenry at the prospect of the planet’s most arrogant, chauvinistic, and violent formation caving in to selfsame Russia, whose utter destruction was ’a given’ in the West for centuries.
Once again, thank you for sharing this and lots of luck to you in Russia. You have earned it all right.
”America and the rest of the western world seem to be going to hell in a hand basket”
Duly carried by Conchita Wurst in an ”Alphabet Soup Plus” parade. The Ukro clip included above is a very fine textbook example of the concept ”Zionazi-gay”.
Russia’s gain is seriously Canada’s loss, because you are clearly an intelligent, conscientious and very articulate person. You successfully navigated through a complex process and have clearly and concisely described it for others who might want to follow in your footsteps. Glad you realised your goal and qualified for permanent residency in your new country. Now, may you succeed famously there at whatever you choose to do. There is no reason why Americans should not have great relations with Russians whether the latter are native born or immigrants from Canada.
Bye the bye, I am sure a few corners were cut to accommodate Edward Snowden, who needed to be saved from the clutches of Washington’s deep state goons. How do you think he has coped with the transition you describe? Does his situation come up in conversation? His life may depend on living in Russia for the rest of his days. I hope he doesn’t make any ill-advised decisions because of homesickness for the USA.
I think every middle class American family should have their children tutored in two foreign languages, one being Spanish because it’s the prevalent tongue in our Western hemisphere, the other being Mandarin Chinese or a still widely-spoken European language, like French, German or Russian. This will give the kids a leg-up if things get so bad economically or societally in America that they must look for greener pastures for simple self-preservation. Another piece of advice, arrange for them to acquire dual citizenship if they qualify. For example, if either of their parents was ever a German citizen, the kids can also claim such citizenship. Might go back to grandparents–I forget. Didn’t help me even though all my Urgroßeltern on both sides were from Prussia.
Thank you for the kind words. Canada can continue on its self-chosen path of being a giant social experiment, controlled by a system run by who-knows-who, but I, my children and grandchildren will not take part.
Snowden’s situation is very different from mine, and I can’t imagine how he’s dealing with life here. If I were in his shoes, I’d change my appearance significantly to be able to walk around anonymously, learn Russian, be careful about who I make friends with, and try to get permanent residency or citizenship here.
I agree with you completely about learning languages (especially Spanish and Chinese), and acquiring different citizenships.
Nick, thanks for the dispassionate description of what I’m sure is an arduous process.
I think Snowden is one of the outliers. His asylum was granted, and he is physically protected, in order to tease Russia’s primary strategic competitor. Asylum is all about PR and/or dishing out humiliation; large amounts of red tape can be arbitrarily brushed aside if the soft-power payoff is large enough. And I’m sure possession of hundreds of millions of (liquid) dollars would also cut through a lot of Russia’s immigration red tape, as it can and does in all other countries, including the US.
In my own case, I emigrated from the US to Brazil a few years before Lula became president, when Brazil became a far more respected nation that it was accustomed to being, in part due to the rise of a new and large middle class (now fallen), and the competence of its geo-strategic chops. But that’s history, and everything is back to normal here in the Republica Bananeira Gringalada. I just have to roll with it, knowing the grass is not greener in other pastures, at least not permanently.
During the worst moments of my Zersetzung torture, I envied Snowden, and wondered if it was possible for me to move to Russia, where I might exist beyond the reach of the Five Eyes’ Alphabet Stasi goon squads that have stalked, harassed, robbed, tortured, and threatened me in several countries, even China. But I’m too old now, I don’t have any state secrets to share, I don’t know anyone in Russia, and there’s no payoff for Russia. So, I’ll roll with it. I’m exposed here in Brazil, and a monster resides in Brasilia’s Palácio do Planalto, albeit a very dumb monster. I’ve had time to get ready for anything, and be at peace with myself, and like myself — a lot — for not breaking, and not stooping to the depths of the population of English speaking zombies I ditched, and the Portuguese speaking zombies I now live among. I’ll roll with it.
I’ve got no lessons for Nick nor anyone thinking of moving to Russia, but I say “go for it”, with the understanding and wisdom that political and economic situations can turn on a dime, or a kopeck. (I’ve studied Byzantine and Russian history; I know Russia is not immune to rapid change, as the 1990s proved, and my reading of Trotsky’s “Terrorism and Communism” is informing me this week.)
Nick, good for you. I hope you have an interesting life in Russia, but not TOO interesting.
Thank you Nick for sharing your experience with us. I’d like to congratulate you for having courage and wisdom to make the move.
As Canada and the West is irreversibly descending into chaos I can see justification of such self preserving move.
1) Can I avoid moscow getting into the country and immigration process? is the immigration offices in another region?
2) can marriage visa allow me to own land in the village?
Great read.
I myself have moved out from Canada 11 years ago and am happier with each passing day with my decision. Though the move was to a different country, Serbia, and I had already citizenship (dual citizenship Serbian and Canadian) I can relate. I finished high-school in Canada and college in the USA and had considerable work experience. My reasons for heading back to Serbia after 12 years were unclear to me, there was just an emotional pull. Now I have rock solid reason to never go back, the degeneracy mainly. My conviction is such that I refuse to take out any Canadian papers for my wife or children. I learned a great deal in the west and am very grateful for all of it, it serves me well in every day business, but I couldn’t ever go back to it. I even turn down all expenses paid trips to the US that are businesses in nature. Thanks, but no thanks.
Matter of fact I now often fantasise about moving to Russia as Serbia is in a hurry to adopt all things rotten in the west.
All the best to you Nick and thanks for sharing.
Thank you Nick for sharing this note. I am happy that it was posted in the section that I read most often.
But I am most pleased that it is written by a Canadian and from a Canadian perspective, and that you chose Saint Petersburg as your destination. I too am Canadian and have just moved here, but after a long, long sojourn in China.
When I (we) first moved to China everyone back home thought I was crazy, and it seems that almost everyone in my most recent home of Shanghai thought that I was crazy to come here. It is only week 2, but I feel a great sense of relief in being in place that albeit much harder to break into, feels much more free than China does now.
The food here is safe and tasty. Cars stop at the zebra crossings. Almost nothing is blocked on the internet (the latest blow in China was to block all of Wikipedia) so no more wasting hours each week trying to get the VPN to work – just so I can read this site… E-commerce is working and there are multiple platforms, not just one giant. The telecom companies are fiercely competing. But most importantly the sky is blue (some days), the clouds are fluffy (again), and when I jog I can breathe in deeply fresh air. No more shallow breathing and no more face masks.
So coming from China now it feels like an easier choice (it was not easy, but in retrospect it feels that way). I think coming from Canada would require greater courage and conviction, so kudos to you Nick for taking that big step.
I hope we have the chance to meet up some time in this fair city after I have settled a bit.
Regards,
I have learned a lot about China and Chinese culture from two white men who ride motorcycles around the entire country. The short documentaries are fascinating. I would strongly recommend watching at least two of them. Warning: They are addictive!
https://www.youtube.com/user/churchillcustoms/about
https://www.youtube.com/user/churchillcustoms/videos
My point is that it would help the rest of the world understand Russia if there were two Western motorcycle riders living in Russia who did the same thing.