Viewing topic: Work visa question

Hi,

My Russian business visa expires in 4 months, and I would like to obtain a work visa/permit. I am now currently working as a freelance English teacher. Which schools in Moscow offer a work visa/permit for the least amount of hours worked and/or which agencies offer a work visa/permit - approximately how much and contact info? Thanks a lot for your help!

Mark

Hi Mark,

I'm afraid that I have no knowledge of what's on offer in Moscow - as I'm in SPB...

However, you say that your business visa expires in 4 months... I would warn you that you should get cracking straight away on organising it - or you may well find that you will run out of time!!

Arranging a work visa and permit is a very lengthy process with lots of pitfalls along the way. It is likely to take an absolute minimum of 3 months or maybe up to 6 (Mine took about 5 months when organised through an agency recently. Total cost, including travel, was about 60,000 rubles).

However, if you manage to find a school who will arrange a work visa in return for teaching a certain number hours for them, it may speed the process up, as 'bona-fida teachers employed by schools are exempt from the additional need to get a work permit, I believe.

If you use an agency you will need a work visa invitation AND a work permit (card). You may find suitable agencies advertising by doing a search on Yandex, for example. But beware that you don't just get strung along....

But, whichever route you schose, you really DO need to get the ball rolling quickly - or you may find yourself running out of visa before the work visa invitation is ready!

In that case you would have to obtain a, say, 3-month work visa to tide you over and you would also then have to travel back to the States twice, which is not a cheap process. I would suggest that you don't wait for definitive answers here (offers from schools may vary from individual to individual anyway), but start contacting them to get specific answers/possible offers in your case.

Hope this helps!

Thanks for the info!!

If you have a proper teaching qualification then you could check out schools that issue their teachers with teacher visas. Different from work visas. It's all complimicated.