Russia: The Visa Terror Continues!

Hello,

I was drinking my morning cup of coffee & studying an article about the visa issues in Russia!

I understand what is going on with the rules. I understand the political motivation behind the rules. I understand the conception of the rules.

What I do not understand is the desire of a country such as Russia to push away “freelancers, entrepreneurs and people who work at smaller companies.” Russia has also devastated one of its greatest resources,”English teachers, who often meet their students through agencies that never previously bothered to get them work visas.” This encompasses a lot of people.

What I see happening is that Russia wants only foreigners from Big Business, companies that can deal with the added overhead of the extra visa expense & time.

As my Wife said: “By this action, Russia has succeeded in only pushing out the intelligent foreigners. The ones who follow the rules, help the country and bring prosperity to Russia!”

My wife is very correct!

New Visa Rules a Big Headache For Expats
By Alexander Osipovich
Staff Writer

These should be happy times for Alessandro Balgera. After all, the 50-year-old Italian is getting married Wednesday.

But Balgera can only spend three weeks with his new Russian wife before he has to leave the country for 90 days, thanks to new visa rules that took effect in October.

“It’s really sad. Extremely sad,” said Balgera, a former hotel restaurant manager.

Balgera is one of many foreigners scrambling to deal with the new, tougher rules on multiple-entry business visas that were introduced in a decree signed by Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov on Oct. 4.

Under the new rules, such visas permit stays of no more than 180 days out of one year and for no longer than 90 days at a time. Previously, many expats used multiple-entry business visas to live in Russia year-round, making an annual visa run outside the country whenever their old one expired.

For them, 2008 promises to be a year of paperwork hassles as they try to obtain work visas or residency — the two main ways they can legally remain in Russia year-round after their old visas expire.

The changes may go unnoticed by employees at big companies, which are usually well equipped to deal with the bureaucratic burdens of hiring foreigners. Many such companies got work visas for their employees even before the Zubkov decree.

But the new rules are proving to be a colossal headache for freelancers, entrepreneurs and people who work at smaller companies. Among the hardest-hit individuals are English teachers, who often meet their students through agencies that never previously bothered to get them work visas.

Anya Soroka, a Canadian citizen, does not know whether she will stay in Russia after March. It depends on whether her English-teaching agency will come through with a work visa.

“I’m not going to be devastated if I can’t come back to Russia,” said Soroka, an actress who supplements her income by teaching English lessons. “Obviously, I’d rather have a choice.”

Most of the English teachers interviewed for this report said they expected to stay in Russia in 2008 because their schools were promising to sponsor work visas for them. But the process is fraught with uncertainty, said Kira Hagen, an American who has taught English and worked as a nanny for well-off Russian families. Hagen said she was hoping to return to Russia as a dependent of her husband, if his company gets him a work visa. If not, they might leave the country.

“We could probably make an emergency move to Poland right now, if we needed to,” Hagen mused in her blog. “Or even Korea, if the ticket and housing were paid for.”

Legal experts stress that coming to Russia on any document other than a work visa and earning income — even as an independent contractor — is illegal.

But that law has never been seriously enforced, and Zubkov’s decree was an attempt to close the loophole, said Peter Reinhardt, a partner at Ernst & Young.

“The underlying presumption behind this rule change is that if someone is having to spend more than half their time here, then it can no longer conceivably be a business trip,” Reinhardt said.

Government officials say the rule changes were based on the principle of reciprocity. Russians face the same restrictions when traveling to Europe on multiple-entry visas, Alexander Aksyonov, director of the Federal Migration Service’s visa and registration department, said last month at an event organized by the American Chamber of Commerce. “If you take a look at the European Union countries, you will see that they have exactly the same system.”

Changes were introduced after a Russia-EU agreement to simplify visa procedures went into effect in June. In some respects, the agreement did make things easier, especially for short-term business travelers. For instance, companies that want to bring a foreigner to Russia can now issue their own invitations, whereas before they had to get the invitations through the Federal Migration Service. But some expatriates find it absurd that an agreement intended to simplify visa procedures has actually made their lives more complicated.

The EU “caused more harm than good to European businessmen” with the agreement, Jon Hellevig, a managing partner at the law firm Hellevig, Klein & Usov, said in a news bulletin last month.

The fallout from the agreement might damage the Russian economy by scaring away foreign investors and entrepreneurs, Hellevig said by telephone. “I think perhaps it would be better if Russia did not insist on full reciprocity.”

A EU diplomat said the visa agreement only covered short-terms visits and that Russia, not the EU, was responsible for imposing the 90-day limit. “Russia introduced the rule mainly on grounds of its policies toward foreigners living and working in the country,” said Taneli Lahti, head of the political section of the EU’s delegation to Russia.

Now, the two options that most foreigners have if they want to stay in Russia — a work visa or residency — both have their own difficulties.

Experts say it currently takes about three months to get a work visa. Most of that time is taken up by the process of getting a work permit, which a company needs to obtain before its employee can get the visa.

Not surprisingly, Russians applying for work permits in Europe face difficulties too. Unlike Russia, many EU countries require personal interviews at embassies for foreigners seeking work permits, and the rejection rate is higher, Hellevig said. The difference, he said, is navigating the Russian bureaucracy, which makes it more cumbersome to provide all the supporting documents needed for an application.

About 25 separate documents are needed, and “each one may have its own difficulties,” Hellevig said. Among those documents are medical certificates proving that the foreigner in question does not have tuberculosis or leprosy.

Those diseases are rare in Europe and North America — especially among wealthy businessmen — but that didn’t stop the head of the Federal Migration Service from defending the rule Wednesday. “The law sets out a list of diseases that foreigners must prove they do not have,” Konstantin Romodanovsky said at a news conference in response to a reporter’s question. “Explain to me, please, how can we give one list of required documents to citizens of Tajikistan and a different one to citizens of the EU? Surely, our laws must be objective.”

The other legal way to remain in Russia — obtaining residency — is a multiyear process that comes with a number of stringent requirements. For instance, after they achieve temporary residency — an intermediate stage on the road to becoming full-fledged residents — foreigners cannot leave Russia without first getting an exit visa. Also, foreigners with this status do not automatically get the right to work: They still have to apply for work permits.

Many EU countries offer a more liberal approach. In Britain, for example, foreigners qualify for residency if they have been in the country with work permits or business visas for five years. In Russia, expatriates who have been here for 10 years or more face the same obstacles to residency as anyone else.

Still, residency is the best option for people like Balgera, the Italian getting married to a Russian woman next week.

Balgera sounded frustrated as he described his plans to apply for a series of separate three-month visas until he could get temporary residency and live full-time with his future wife. What was especially galling to him was that he got his multiple-entry business visa on Oct. 19 — just days after the 90-day rule went into effect. “I had no idea whatsoever,” he said. “If I had gone two days earlier, I would have won six months. … But for one day, I lost everything.”

Staff Writer Nikolaus von Twickel contributed to this report.

I was lucky, When we got my visa we beat the deadline. That will only last a year, then I have to have other plans in motion by that time.

My biggest complaint in all this: If Russia is playing games with the EU, why involve the USA in the new visa rules?

My Wife got a year tourist visa to the USA: Why then does Russia penalize the USA when the American visa rules are much different when traveling to America?

Kyle

comments always welcome

Boza and I Take a Walk and Find Cool Spots to Wander in…

On this wonderful hot day, Boza and I took a walk and decided to find some cool spots to rest at. Well we found some good places to walk and the breeze was fantastic under the trees.

We also found an old fence, a door open that we could peek into and several other interesting sites that give you a look at Russia in the Moscow area…

Have a nice day from Boza!

Windows to Russia!

Russia Says, Having the Potential For Nuclear Weapons is not Prohibited by the NNPT Treaty…

How do you like that title?

That title is on the same article that the world is spreading all over the place. At least the Western world

I guess Medvedev needs to watch what he says and use easier to understand words for the Western press. They seem to only be able to understand a few of his words out of all the words that he says. So they plaster the airwaves with, How Medvedev agrees with America now. Here is some of what Medvedev said:

The Islamic Republic “Is getting closer to possessing the potential that in principle can be used to create a nuclear weapon.” Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said. (potential and principle are the key words)
Medvedev also noted that having such potentials is not prohibited by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. (That is my title :))

Medvedev also  has reiterated the stance that Moscow has long been pursuing: That Sanctions hardly ever lead to positive results. But, he went on, there is a point in imposing sanctions and that is sending “a signal which stimulates the negotiating process.” (What they are not for is to destroy the people?)

So “We should now be patient and resume the dialogue with Tehran as soon as possible. That is, we believe, the key goal of the new UN Security Council resolution on Iran.” the Russian president said. (Different goal than what America has!)

If diplomacy misses a chance for resuming talks with the Islamic Republic, “it would be a common failure of the entire international community.” Medvedev stressed. (Other words get off your warmonger asses and help get Iran to the discussion table!)

Meanwhile, “Iran is not acting in the best way.” the Russian leader noted. Moscow is constantly calling on Tehran to show openness and cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). He noted that the so-called Group of Six international intermediaries has an even bigger responsibility to get Iran back to the negotiation table. (Once again even though Iran is being stupid at times that gives us no excuse to let the ball drop!)

But I do not see any change of his stance incorporated in what he says. I do see that Medvedev has come out from thinking and he was just slapped in the face again by the West…

So while you look at your Big News Headlines and see that, Russia Agrees With America! Remember that there is multi-angles to everything and it is up to you as an individual to get to the real truth and the start is to quit look at the Big Press as all-knowing…

Windows to Russia!

  • Strong Russian remarks on Iran please Washington (reuters.com)
  • Russia: Iran closer to creating nuclear weapons (msnbc.msn.com)
  • US shares Medvedev worries on Iran (alternet.org)
  • Russia says Iran ‘nearing bombs’ (news.bbc.co.uk)
  • U.S.: Russia comment on Iran good sign of intl unity (reuters.com)
  • Medvedev: Iran’s Capabilities Alarming (israelnationalnews.com)
  • Some agreement on Iran sanctions exists: Medvedev (ctv.ca)
  • Medvedev: Agreement on Iranian nuclear sanctions (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

Moscow Building 5000 Bomb Shelters by 2012…

Sometimes you come across information that make you stop and go, Say What! Russia Today just put out a video and news report that Russia is building 5000 more bomb shelters in Moscow. This will be done on a hurried time frame by 2012. I was taken aback by this and the past rolled in like a huge wave. I remembered building homes in America with special areas in the basement that could be used as a bomb shelter. I also remember the many drills at school that had to do with a nuclear attack

It just struck me as very strange that it would be pronounced so strongly and with a haste that this will and must be done by 2012. It makes your thinking’s take off and go into high gear…

The expression “Cold War” has made a huge comeback in the news and now it seems to be invading our lives again whether we want it to be there or not…

So Windows to Russia will watch this subject and see what comes of it. Because if they are going to build 5000 bomb shelters in less than two years, then there is going to be a lot of construction going on…

Post by Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia…

Russia: Is Not With Out Reprisals!

Originally posted 2008-08-25 15:55:00.

Seems Russia has a few slaps back in the American face that may hurt….

1. Moscow may respond at the UN Security Council, where it can put obstacles on the way of US intentions to punish Iran for its nuclear ambition.

2. All anti-terrorist programs, the struggle against drug mafia, Syria, Venezuela and Hamas can be added on the list too.

3. Russians may stop their cooperation with the USA, with the cooperation in the energy industry.

4. The USA needs to obtain Russia’s help in the endeavor to make Iran and North Korea shut down their nuclear programs.

5. Russia started the shipments of first components of its very effective S-300 missile system to Iran. Russia is in the deals now with India for missiles to arm India’s new submarines. Russia is also working on Arms deals with Syria, Jordon and Venezuela on arms deals.

6. Russia may complicate USA’s and NATO’s supply of the coalition in Afghanistan In April, Moscow gave France and Germany a right to transit non-combatant cargoes via Russia.

7. Russia is capable of blocking any sanctions at the UN Security Council.

8. Moscow can also pull out from a number of treaties, including the one signed with the USA about the liquidation of short and smaller range missiles after the expiry of START-1 Treaty in 2009.

9. The USA would hardly prefer Moscow disposing of its dollar assets. Moscow has already started the actions to sell Russian crude for rubles, which would obviously affect long-term dollar positions.

10. Can you think of any more?

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

How About a Real Issue from Windows to Russia…

A beach after an oil spill.
Image via Wikipedia

I woke up this morning and fired up the computer. I was greeted with an onslaught of disgusting comments and e-mails that centered around the Russia and America Spy issue. I have spent almost 2 hours going through all these comments and e-mails. The spam and cussing filters work really good by the way. I wanted to save the ones that at least tried to comment…

I have expressed interest in this spy bull because it involves Russia. If I lived somewhere else in the world, I would have cared less about Russian spies in America. If I was in America I would have cared less about Russian spies in America. I most likely would have never written about it…

What I would be writing about if I lived in America is the Gulf Oil Lie…

I am following what is happening and I can tell you something. We are in big trouble. I have lived in Florida and I know how beautiful that the Gulf Waters can be.

The big news is being very poorly done over the Gulf Oil Lie. Example is, I just read an article by BBC and normally they are very neutral but in this case it was a text book cover up article. It was a hunky dory everything will be just peachy keen when they get that new cap in place… (How many new caps?)

One thing that bothers me and I really hope that if you are old enough, you remember, the 1979 oil disastor that spewed oil for nine months, devastated marine life and covered the Texas and Mexican coasts with gobs of crude. Florida was a long ways from that spill…

There really are strong parallels between the two spills. Like the Deepwater Horizon spill, the Ixtoc 1 spill on June 3, 1979, involved the failure of a blowout preventer device, a kind of emergency shutoff valve. In both cases, metal domes put over the well failed to stop the leaks. Also the news casts from that era are virtually identical to the news casts today. In fact if you can find some old videos from that era you will think you are listening to the newscast of today and what they say about the oil spill

And in both cases, crews turned to something called relief wells dug horizontally through the seafloor to stop the spills, a technique that can take months.

The Ixtoc I was an exploratory well being drilled in 160 feet of water about 60 miles northwest of Ciudad del Carmen on Mexico’s Gulf coast. By comparison, the Deepwater Horizon well is in 5,000 feet deep water.

This disaster is much worse and by being in 5000 feet of water makes the Ixtoc I situation a piece of cake…

I remember the Ixtoc I incident very well. It dumped 3,000,000 barrels of oil so they say. The effects were far reaching and are still able to be found if you go look…

By my calculations Ixtoc I became a baby oil spill in comparison a long time ago. The news, BP and the Government at first was using the Ixtoc I as a comparison because they had no idea that this would ever come near that bad of a spill. That ended quickly…

Guess what?  I think at least 20 million barrels (840,000,000 gallons) of oil have exploded into the Gulf and with this oil is coming some really bad other chemicals. We ourselves have put some really bad chemicals in the water on the oil.

We have just possibly killed the Gulf, can we stop it before we kill the Atlantic? The call now is that it is going to devastate the fishing all through the North end of the world.

Have you seen the videos of the wells and the dolphins that have died from the oil? Have you been looking around and trying to see what is really happening? Do you think it will? Can we stop it? Is the ground fractured at the well? Is evacuation a possibility? Why is the local news being stifled? What if the two relief wells create a bigger problem? Why are local governments being squelched? Why have state governments been pushed aside? Why is the whole damn world not there by the millions to save the planet? Can we Nuke it? Is this all on a unstable fault line in the earths crust? How many places are leaking on the Gulf floor? Have we been lied to? Do you trust the ones in Charge?  …

Lots and lots of questions that need answers and I really do not think that we can answer them. But I wanna know! Now you see why I had heart attacks…

Windows to Russia!

  • Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill surpasses IXTOC I as worst oil spill in Gulf of Mexico’s history (gcaptain.com
  • Tomorrow, BP Spill Will be the Largest in Gulf History (treehugger.com)
  • 1979 Ixtoc oil spill suggests there will be no quick fixes for Deepwater Horizon (foxnews.com)
  • Repeating Ixtoc’s Oil Soaked History (npr.org)
  • Tomorrow, BP Spill Will be the Largest in Gulf History (treehugger.com)
  • 1979 Ixtoc oil spill suggests there will be no quick fixes for Deepwater Horizon (foxnews.com)

Russia’s Relations With America Have Gone Back to Normal…

TVERSKAYA SQUARE, MOSCOW. At Moscow City Day c...
Image via Wikipedia

I had a comment that expressed the desire of hoping that Russia and America will not have a set back in their relationship over this spy issue. I have analyzed this situation from multiple angles and can not see any good that has come out of spy verses spy.

It had nothing to do with good or bad, right or wrong and spy verses spy. It had to do with the timing of the whole escapades and that was an intentional deliberation. It had to do with the fact that Obama made the decision to do what he did and it was a slap in the face to Medvedev…

At first I was thinking that Obama would not have done that. That he would have either made sure that the people were arrested before Medvedev came or wait until after he left and the G-8 and G20 were over. The fact that he choose how it came down has directed even my feelings on the issue. Building a relationship with Russia was important and a decade old case of a handful of dumb spies was not important. If these spies were so important why were they not picked up one, two, three or more years ago. They never ever came close to accomplishing anything of importance…

An example of change in thoughts comes from Mayor Yury of Moscow. Now many love the Moscow Mayor and then again many dislike him greatly. But I do know that he will say what is on his mind and that causes people to have issues with him…

Now the big news in Moscow is that they will help Vietnam build subways and Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov said, “For Moscow, Vietnam is the first priority compared to any other countries in terms of cooperation.”

So goes Moscow, goes Russia…

Take it how you want, but believe me after being here for almost 4 years. I know that he said this for a reason and that was not to convince Vietnam to get help doing a subway.  Mayor Yury Luzhkov is a powerful man in Russia and I have learned by watching, that what he expresses is thinking’s from the Kremlin. I have also picked up multiples of  changes in the way the news is presenting issues with America.

Many in Russia believe that looking West is degrading to the future of the country. Many believe that Russia should be concentrating on the surrounding and East side of the world.

Truth is, Relations With America Have Gone Back to Normal. This spy issue was just a reality check for Russia…

Lets hope they prove me wrong!

Windows to Russia!

Russia: Svet’s Walk To Work!

Hello,

My Wife takes fantastic pictures. Here are some of hers. They are from Moscow near where she works. She has a Monastery that she walks by on the way to work. These are pictures of that area.

Enjoy

Kyle

comments always welcome

Russia: New GAZ Volga Siber!

GAZ Volga Siber:


In 2006, GAZ Group acquired the Sebring platform from Chrysler, on the basis of which the new vehicle was developed.

With the purchase of the platform from Chrysler, we acquired new light vehicle production and quality control technologies – technologies used in modern automobile construction.

The Siber will be manufactured in Russia and sales will start in 2008. The vehicle’s design was adjusted to better suit Russian roads. Among these technical changes are increased road clearance and hardened suspension.

The other changes have to do with the look of the Siber. The bumper, radiator grill and lights have been redesigned. There are plans to revamp the salon.

Installation and preparation of equipment is currently under way at the GAZ production line in Nizhny Novgorod. Contracts are being signed with part suppliers. The question of partial localization of component production is being carefully considered.

New welding and assembly lines have been built. The Haden-2 painting complex has been modernized. In effect, a new factory has been built for the production of the Siber.

The first Siber cars will already be rolling off the assembly line at GAZ this summer. The Siber is being manufactured under licence from the American company Chrysler, but the engineers at Magna have made a great contribution to the implementation of the project. Canadian colleagues played a very active role in the work during virtually all the phases of the project – from procurement, setting up information systems and localizing spare parts to improving technologies, for example in the paint or welding shops on the assembly line. About 150 Canadian specialists provided direct assistance to get the Siber’s assembly plant in Nizhny Novgorod operational.

Specifications of the Volga Siber:

Basic equipment: 2-liter engine with 141hp, air conditioning, two airbags, ABS, anti-skid Traction Control System, halogen headlamps with delayed disconnection and adjustable levels of brightness, power steering, adjustable steering wheel, electric driver’s seat adjustable in six directions, stereo system with 6 speakers and amplifier, heated and folding electric mirrors and a full spare tire.

Main technical specifications: 4-cylinder in-line Chrysler engine (standard Euro 4). Displacement: 2 litre and 2.4 litre. Power: 141hp and 143hp; Torque: 188 @ 4,350 and 210 @ 4,200. Maximum speed: 200 kmph. Fuel tank capacity: 61 litres. Dimensions: clearance: 140 mm; length: 4,844 mm; width: 1.792 mm; height: 1,394 mm; volume of passenger compartment: 2,660 litres; volume of boot: 453 litres.

Kyle & Svet

comments always welcome.

About Volga Siber Project

Could Putin Have a “Told You So” For Medvedev?

Yosemite sign post
Image by dgavrile via Flickr

I really thought that America would wait a few months before they gave out the confirmation information about this spy game crap. I was hoping for the sake of relations between America and Russia. That the bragging, that is so common by America, would not slither forth for a awhile…

But it looks as though when you got a story that is headlines news for more than a day. You play it for all it is worth. Play is a good word and all this information just backs up what I have been saying. Lets read a few excerpts from The Washington Post and her latest article on this spy saga…

1. President Obama’s national security team spent weeks before the arrest of 10 Russian spies preparing for their take down and assembling a list of prisoners Moscow might be willing to trade for the agents, senior administration officials said Friday.

2. Now, with the swap on an airport tarmac in Vienna completed, the administration hopes the episode will remain a non issue between Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, treated as one of the occasional, fleeting bumps in a smooth road ahead for relations between their countries.

3. With any luck, U.S. officials indicated, it would be as if the biggest spy swap since the end of the Cold War had never happened.

4. Obama was first told about the Russian program and the long-running investigation June 11.

5. They discarded the possibility of asking Moscow for individuals with no intelligence connections, and they found that the universe of imprisoned Russians who had been accused of spying for the West was surprisingly small. (Link)

I have said several times that Medvedev is quiet and Putin has taken the limelight to pull attention away from Medvedev while Medvedev does a little soul searching.

Everyone in America has this very wrong. Russia is so different than what you believe and or led to believe. Russians have turned from the forward process that was being made in the minds and attitudes, as political wherewithal’s seems to have blended into a viable working situation…

That changed fast and it came at the sole discretion of the powers at large, the powers to be and the power wanna Be’s…

I took a long walk and did some soul searching myself about this false spy situation. This is my feelings and I really do not care if you think America was right and Russia wrong – or- America wrong and Russia right…

They were both wrong and none of this should have been news. This should have concluded behind closed doors and never should have been magnified by anyone for any reason.

This is not just a move in a chess or checker game. This time it was a move that squelched a true reset that could have bettered the world, years down the road. I have said before that Russia plays chess and America plays checkers. In checkers you have to take the jumps and capture the opponent. In chess that is never a forced issue… (Think about what I just said!)

What I see is a total and complete break down in trust between two major world powers that needed to have as solid of a footing as possible to help achieve stability in the world…

Russian press is the sounding board of the Kremlin. As the Kremlin smiles so does the press and Vice-a-Versa.

I could feel a real change starting to happen and it was prevalent coming from the Russian President. He had a good attitude toward America and truly believed that Obama was large and in Charge.

The sun was shining and the sky was clear. All the past was just our fears…

Lets look at the listed 5 excerpts above:

Number one makes clear that this was planned and was being staged for a special time and moment. So do not let the bull about “they are planning to run” dance in your brain. If that was true then pick them up NOW….

Number Two makes it clear that they did the timing on purpose and now are doing a fake damage control and steer the American people down that path of, “See we (America) have no hard feelings about all this and Russia shouldn’t either…”

Number three makes clear America is a – Cold War Junkie…

Number four is a good one. Obama knew before at least by two weeks and planned with the decade long process. Him and his advisers came up with that perfect moment in which to spring this stupid situation. Timing was on purpose…

Number 5 is my favorite one. We admit that Russia does not have jails full of America spies. Why? Well it is not because they (American spies) are not here. It is because Russia has got better things to do then spend a decade of intelligence money on following 10 buffoons, then arresting them, even after admitting that they really did nothing wrong and never ever correlated data transfers that meant anything… (Oh I forgot they also laundry money, grow up, so does the business world everyday and that is perfectly legal)

So as you can see, I really am perturbed by this. What happened was an inadmissible game that was created to shift short attention spans away from issues that really are bigger and more disturbing. It worked because the head line news was Cold War Spies and not the death of the Gulf of Mexico due to man’s stupidity…

Windows to Russia!