Russian Immigration Application: What You Need to Settle in Russia
Russian Immigration Application: What You Need to Settle in Russia
The Russian Federation has introduced the State Migration Policy Concept 2019-2025, designed to attract foreigners and immigrants to repopulate underpopulated areas.
Russia plans to actively support skilled workers to live in sparsely populated areas, help workers learn the language, history and culture that can contribute to Russia's economic, social and cultural development if it establishes closer ties with Russia, and encourage permanent residence. According to immigration law, after five years of residence and passing a Russian language exam, a person can obtain Russian citizenship.
As of June 2019, 10.13 million foreigners reside in the Russian Federation, with the vast majority (85%) of immigrants being citizens of Eastern European and Asian countries. According to the United Nations' World Population Survey, Russia's current net migration rate in 2022 is 0.748 per 1,000 population, a decrease of 14.42% compared to 2021.
Russian immigration application is a visa application that must be made by those who want permission to live in the Russian Federation for a long time. Russian immigration visa is divided into 3 categories: temporary immigration, permanent immigration and obtaining Russian citizenship. Russian immigration procedures are carried out by the General Directorate of Immigration Affairs of Russia. Anyone who has worked in Russia for five years and speaks Russian fluently can become a Russian immigrant, provided that their criminal record is clean.
What are the Russian Immigration Requirements?
Russian immigration requirements are given below.
- The person applying for Russian immigration must have a document proving that he/she knows the Russian language, Russian history and Russian legislation.
- The applicant must have a medical report stating that he/she does not have any dangerous or contagious disease.
- The applicant must not have any record of terrorist activities.
- The Russian immigration applicant must not have been convicted of a crime that is considered serious and dangerous to repeat and that could pose a danger to the Russian people.
- The applicant must not have left Russia and settled permanently in another country.
What are the Russian Immigration Application Programs?
The current application programs and types in the Russian Federation are listed below.
- Application for students who want to study or do an internship in Russia
- Immigration application for those who want to work in Russia
- Russian immigration application for entrepreneurs and freelancers
- Immigration application for people who will marry a Russian citizen or who will reunite their family in Russia
How to Immigrate to Russia Through Education?
People who want to go to Russia as immigrants through education must apply to an educational institution for a master's, doctorate, language education that will last more than 90 days in Russia, then receive an official invitation and then apply for a Russian student visa.
Applicants whose Russian student visa is approved can go to Russia as immigrants for educational purposes.
How to Apply for Russian Immigration through Work?
People who want to immigrate to Russia through work must first apply for a suitable job in Russia, then their application must be accepted and a work contract must be made, and finally, they must receive an official invitation and apply for a Russian work visa with all these documents.
Applicants whose Russian work visa is approved can go to Russia as immigrants for work purposes.
How to Immigrate to Russia as a Highly Skilled Worker?
People who want to immigrate to Russia for work purposes as highly qualified workers can gain the right to immigrate to Russia with a Russian VKS visa, which is a type of work visa.
In order to obtain a Russian VKS visa, the necessary criteria must be met and a job offer must be received from Russia. People who want to immigrate to Russia as highly qualified workers can apply for a Russian VKS visa by sending their official invitations and preparing a work contract, and if they receive a positive result, they can go to Russia as a highly qualified worker and work as an immigrant.
How to Apply for Russian Immigration through Marriage?
Persons applying for Russian immigration through marriage must be married to a Russian citizen or a foreigner who has a residence permit in Russia.
Persons who are married to a Russian citizen or another person who has a residence permit in Russia are eligible to receive a Russian marriage visa and can immigrate to Russia to join their spouse, provided that they meet the necessary criteria.
How to Immigrate to Russia Through Family Reunification?
A person who wants to immigrate to Russia through family reunification must be a family member of a Russian citizen or a foreigner who works, studies, is an investor and has a residence permit in Russia, and must meet criteria such as income requirements.
How to Immigrate to Russia by Investment?
For those who want to immigrate to Russia through investment, the Russian Federation has announced that it has an investor visa program that it plans to implement for foreign investors in 2022.
Within the scope of the investor visa, it is planned to grant a residence permit to people who invest in Russia over a certain amount, buy a house or start a business. People who want to go to Russia as immigrants through investment can obtain a residence permit by obtaining a Russian investor visa.
How to Apply for Russian Immigration?
Russian immigration applications are made by applying for long-term Russian visas such as work, student and family reunification.
For a Russian visa application, the applicant must apply to the Russian consulates or Russian visa application centers in Turkey, either personally or through accredited agencies. In order to apply for a Russian visa, the online visa application form must be filled out, the necessary documents must be prepared and a visa appointment must be made at the relevant consulate or application center.
Applicants who wish to obtain a Russian immigration visa must complete their applications by submitting documents in person or by mail, paying the visa fee in person or by money order, and attending a visa application interview if necessary, depending on the visa application acceptance practices of the place they will apply to.
What are the Required Documents for Russian Immigration Application?
The list of documents required for Russian immigration application is given below.
- Russian visa application form: Must be filled out online at visa.kdmid.ru, printed and signed.
- Passport: A passport that is not older than 10 years, has at least 2 blank pages, is valid for at least 6 months after the visa expiry date for those with a special visa, and is valid for at least 18 months after the visa start date for those with a student-worker visa.
- Invitation: Invitations obtained from the Russian Immigration Office or the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs can be in electronic format, but if the application is made from the Istanbul Consulate, a confirmation printout from the consulate is required for the invitation.
- Photo: 2 photographs with a white background must be provided.
- Residence permit: Foreign citizens must present a residence permit valid for at least 3 months in Turkey.
- Travel health insurance: Special visa holders are required to obtain travel health insurance if they obtain a multiple-entry one-year visa.
- Health report: Must show a wet-stamped and signed health report stating that there is no HIV (ELISA test) virus.
- Visa request: Special visa holders must submit a written visa request for a foreign family member of a Russian citizen addressed to the Consul General, showing the original and photocopy of the inviting person's foreign Russian passport, the original and photocopy of the Russian internal passport (with address, marriage pages) and a document confirming the degree of relationship with the applicant (such as a marriage certificate).
The documents required for visa applications that applicants must prepare and submit may vary depending on the purpose of immigration to Russia.
How Much Is The Russian Immigration Registration Fee?
Russian immigration registration fees are given in the table below.
| Number of visa entries and exits | Processing time | Visa fee |
|---|---|---|
| Single entry visa | 4-10 days | $80 |
| Single entry visa | 1-3 days | $160 |
| Double entry visa | 4-10 days | $128 |
| Double entry visa | 1-3 days | $256 |
| Multiple entry visa | 4-10 days | $240 |
| Multiple entry visa | 1-3 days | $480 |
How to Pay Russian Immigration Registration Fee?
For applications made to visa application centers for the Russian immigration registration fee, the applicant must pay in cash at the time of the appointment.
In applications made through the Turkish Russian Consulate for a Russian immigrant visa, the applicant must pay the registration fee via wire transfer through contracted banks.