Received a formal clarification from MFA on the new visa rules that a foreigner can spend no more than 90 of 180 days in Russia.
Spoke to EC Commission and several Embassies. Consensus: 1. As promulgated, the new rule modifies a paragrpah in the existing rule that dealt with the number of entries: single/multiple. 2. As that paragraph applied to ALL visa types (as all visas are either single or multiple entry) it is read as applicable de jure to all visa types (student, tourits, commercial, work, diplomatic as the main ones relevant to this list). 3. The "take" from the Embassies is that it will not apply to diplomatic visas at all. 4. The (I feel) optimistic take from one major Embassy is that the new rules also will not apply to work visas. The logic is that it won't apply, b/c it won't be possible to work if you have to leave for 90 of 180 days. A response could be that it is also not possible to study if you can only spend 3 months of a semester in country. But... what would be the point of upsetting them? 5. Informal MFA guidance is that the new rule doesn't apply to diplomatic, but applies to ALL other types. NOTE: the 90 day term begins from publication, October 4, so... anyone affected by it is already more than 3 weeks into the term, and there is not a great track record for getting things done in the RF from early December to mid January. Recommendation: if eligible, get a work visa and register it. get a lawyer, it would be ultimately cheaper to do this, than to be stopped trying to enter the RF. PS. No... before anyone starts, this does NOT violate human or constitutional rights. No one has a legally protected right to a visa anywhere, there are however very significant issues of reciprocity. The RF position (disclaimer, I have been, but am not the RFG's lawyer) is that this is reciprocity, as for example U.S. visas don't allow someone to be present in the U.S. more than 90 of 180 days. I believe it is a misinterpretation as U.S. student visas for example DO allow a person to stay the whole seminar and finish a term, but there are visa types intended to prevent permanent residence that require leaving. INS even automatically renewed them for several of the terrorists involved in Sep. 11, but... that's another story. _______________________________________________ Expat mailing list [email protected] http://www.lists.ru/mailman/listinfo/expat http://www.expat.ru/forum/
