Moving to Russia

Moving to Russia is your dream. You love adventure, you enjoy cold winters and where people see a language barrier you only see a great challenge. You might have already decided that you want to move to Russia, but it is not as easy as just packing your stuff and moving your ass to Russia.

In this post, you will be able to discover different options that you might to consider if you are thinking to have a plot twist in your life and move to the wonderful country of Russia. 

Work in Russia 

This is probably the first idea that comes to your mind when considering moving to Russia. It’s a great idea since the unemployment rate in Russia is around 4,6% (much lower than in my country of origin, Spain. That’s not difficult, though). Still, you need to plan ahead since there are several requirements you should take into account. Furthermore, many employers will not be willing to hire foreigners. It takes a lot of time and money. 

You should know that being on a tourist visa forbids you to work in Russia. To be able to enter the country legally with a working visa, you will need a job contract and an invitation from a Russian company that is legally able to hire foreign employees. This might be a bit tricky but not impossible.  Many consider Working Visa to be the most difficult and expensive visa to get and just by checking the requirements needed you can get a better idea of that. Difficult though it might be to get, it has some advantages since it might allow you to stay in Russia for up to three years, depending on the specific conditions of your job. 

Regarding the types of jobs, you can do in Russia will greatly depend on your studies and professional background. There’s a high demand for highly specialised workers, especially in the engineering sphere.  

Having a good command of English is not a must but highly advisable. Employers will probably be more willing to hire someone who can communicate in Russian. For those who are lacking this language knowledge coming to Russia to teach your native language might be an option worth considering. Many language centres will be happy to have native speakers as teachers and some could even provide you with the necessary training to teach your native language more effectively. 

Study in Russia 

If you are considering moving to Russia, another option could be to study in this wonderful country. Students are granted student visa’s which can be extended for one whole year. This will enable you to stay in Russia for long without worrying about getting a new visa every few months. 

You might have never considered studying in Russia but the truth is that a high number of foreign students choose the Motherland. It comes as no surprise since the quality of university studies is quite nice and it might be cheaper than studying in your country of origin. Furthermore, foreign students can get governmental funding. That makes studying in Russia even more appealing. 

Although is more and more common to find degrees taught in English, most university lessons are held in Russian. For this reason, you might have to take a pre-university Russian language course that will give you the necessary language skills to face the university degree. If you are interested in studying in Russia you should check the Study in Russia webpage created by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation. 

If you have already finished your university studies, you might consider moving to Russia to study the Russian language (Maybe at Liden & Denz? :P). Coming to Russia to learn Russian could be also a fantastic idea to prepare yourself for the job market if you want to work in Russia. 

Volunteer in Russia 

Although it might not be the first idea that comes to people’s minds when deciding they want to move to Russia, coming as a long-term volunteer can be a fantastic option. I spent one year in Russia taking part in a European volunteer program called European Voluntary Service (EVS) now named European Solidarity Corps.  

By volunteering in Russia, you can get a better understanding of Russian culture while getting really close to its society. It can also be a great way to make useful contacts to be able to find a nice job in Russia.  

My experience as a volunteer in Russia was wonderful. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in the country interested in social work. There is a big drawback though, the humanitarian visa is only available for three months at the moment. That would mean that you have to leave Russia quite often if you want to stay for long.

But where some see a negative point some others see a great opportunity to travel and discover other places. Of course, you can go back to your country to get a new visa or you can have an adventure an apply for a new one in Armenia, Finland or Slovakia instead. But be careful with the destination you choose for your visa trip.  Not all countries allow foreign non-residents citizens to apply for a visa. Contact the consulate or a Visa centre in the country you would like to visit before buying any plane tickets! And do that every single time you’re planning to apply for a new visa since conditions might change fast. 

Get Married in Russia 

Ok, I guess this is not exactly a plan to move to Russia but you can fall in love with a Russian citizen and that you decide to move to his/her country of origin. Every region of Russia has an immigration quota which tends to be rather small. Marriage to a Russian citizen guarantees you the opportunity to apply for a Temporary Residency Permit and here the migration quota does not apply. 

Even if as someone married to a Russian Citizen you are allowed to apply for a Temporary Residency Permit, this process is quite long, difficult and tiring. Some would even qualify it as torture. You will have to provide a zillion documents, get translated piles and piles of papers and maybe even get 100ml of unicorn blood. You can read more about the details of the process and the documents needed here. 

Nobody said moving to Russia was easy but the work is worth it if it helps you fulfill your Russian dream. Whatever is the reason why you decide to move to Russia do not give up! When there’s a will there’s a way. Yet… may the force be with you. 

Posted by Miriam Nunez

всем привет! I’m Miriam from Spain and I’m currently an intern at Liden&Denz in St. Petersburg.