Changes to Student Visa requirements

[Marita Nummikoski]

We deal with the Center of Russian Language and Culture at MGU and our visas
are always issued as stazhirovka, not as a student visa. When we apply for
the visas at the consulate in Houston, we fill out a regular business visa
form, nothing more. So I am wondering if the issues you mentioned relate to
a longer stay than just a summer course.
Marita Nummikoski
Univ. of Texas San Antonio

On Wed, Feb 4, 2009 at 1:14 PM, John Givens <givn at mail.rochester.edu> wrote:

>     Dear Colleagues:
>
> I noticed that there are several changes this year to the requirements for
> obtaining student visas to Russia.
>
> The NYC Russian Consulate website lists the following  requirements
> (below).
> Items 2, 3 & 5 are new and item 4 now requires Russian  translation and
> Apostil certification. I understand that these new requirements  are
> usually a
> response to new requirements imposed on our side of their students  seeking
> visas. My question is to those of you who, like the University of
>  Rochester,
> run summer programs in Russia. Do you have any advice how to fulfill  these
> requirements without expending an enormous amount of time and labor?  Is
> there a
> visa service that does student visas? ("ExpresstoRussia"--the  formal
> "partner"
> of the  Russian Consulate--does not do student visas. I  called them
> already.)
> Also, what do they mean by "Apostil of the local  office of the Secretary
> of
> your State"?
>  I noticed that the Russian Embassy does not have instructions  for student
> visas and, in any case, no longer accepts mailed visa applications  (you
> have to
> apply in person or through a service, but none of the services  listed on
> their
> websites do student visas).
>  Thanks for any help! Here are the requirements from the Russian  Consulate
> website:
>  For  a Student Visa, please, submit:
>    A    letter of Invitation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or its
> Regional    Office (if the Region you are going to study in does not have
> Regional Office    of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the invitation is
> issued
> by the    University, Institute or College on its official letterhead
> signed by
> the    rector and certified either by the Office for International Affairs
> of
> the    local administration or by the local office of the Ministry of
> Interior).
>
>    Your    current diploma or educational certificate, certified by the
> State
> or Federal    authorities
>    General    health certificate on your current health condition (must be
> certified by    Apostil at the local office of the Secretary of your State
> and
> translated into    Russian, then certified by the Consulate)
>    A    copy of HIV test certificate (must be certified by Apostil at the
> local
> office    of the Secretary of your State and translated into Russian, then
> certified by    the Consulate)
>    A    confirmation of the payment arrangement directly from the
> University,
>  Institute or College you are going to study at.
>    Your    original passport with at least 2 clean, side by side pages to
> attach the visa    to. The passport must be valid for up to 6 months AFTER
> you
> planned departure    from Russia.
>    2    signed and dated Visa Application Forms (click to download form for
> US
> Citizens, click    here to download form for non-US citizens. The    forms
> require Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can download this free if you do not
>  have
> it installed on your computer. 3 identical passport size (on white
> background) photos. Please, write your name on the back of the photos.
>    Your    payment by money order or cashier's check made out to the
> Russian
> Consulate in    accordance with your local Consulate's fees (see Consulates
> Website or call    them). Do not send cash or personal checks.
>    Pre-paid    self-addressed return envelope from a reliable delivery
> company
> (FED EX, DHL,    UPS).
>
>
>
> John Givens
>  Associate Professor of Russian
>  Modern Languages & Cultures
>  Box 270082
>  University of Rochester
>  Rochester, NY 14627-0082
>  585-275-4272
>
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