#2 - JRL 7304
From: An American Educator
Subject: Re: 7300: US Visa Policies
Date: Wed, 27 Aug 2003
I, for one, am not interested in hearing any more Russian complaints about US visa policies. Not that I support the generally ineffective interviews, idiotic new forms, and time delays introduced by the US government, but these impediments are as nothing compared to the chaos here in Moscow concerning visas and residence registration.
Let's begin with the fact that the requirement to register one's residence is unconstitutional and has been ruled so numerous times by the highest Russian courts. Nevertheless, registration is required and in Moscow the rules are so difficult and ridiculous as to defy belief.
In the process of trying to register visas for a group of American students studying in Moscow on a longstanding exchange agreement between my university and its Moscow partner institution, central Moscow OVIR suddenly and without warning refused to accept our paperwork. According to the ubiquitous "new rule," because our students are stazhery living in homestays with Russian families, they must each register in a local, raion OVIR office closest to their place of residence.
None of these offices answer their spravochnyi telefon. It is necessary to visit each one individually to find out what paperwork is required, and then to return with the documents. Even then, precise information is often not forthcoming; instead one gets angry barking from petty officials in starched uniforms.
The following requirements each pertain to a single neighborhood OVIR office and not to any other. They were provided to us personally in those offices. None of the following actual requirements pertain to any other neighborhood raion OVIR office except the one issuing the rule. Central Moscow OVIR denies any knowledge of or control over the registration of student stazhery. Here are the various rules given to us:
1. Every resident of the given apartment, including minors, must produce a notarized statement giving permission for a visiting student to live there. The ZHEK office must confirm these statements.
2. Only the khoziaika's statement is necessary.
3. Local OVIR offices receive such registration petitions only between 10 am. and 2 pm. on Wednesdays.
4. Local OVIR offices receive such petitions anytime on any day except Wednesdays.
5. Such registration petitions must be accompanied by the original founding charter documents of the Moscow host university.
6. Such registration petitions must be accompanied by a signed notarized letter from the host university's rector guaranteeing the conduct of the students.
7. Registration petitions take a week to process.
8. Registration petitions are processed on the same day.
Even given the ponderous nature of Russian bureaucracy, with which we are all familiar, these contradictory rules go beyond anything I have seen in 20 years working here. And frankly, they go far beyond any inconveniences the US government has managed to think up to frustrate potential Russian visitors.
The visa wars and games between the Russian and American governments are idiotic and hurt nobody except people of good will trying to travel and further the stated cultural exchange goals of both governments. But now the Russian side has created a situation that not even it can understand or implement.
So, no my dear Russian friends: I have spend decades working to improve exchanges between our countries and love both of them dearly, but for now please spare us any further complaints about the mean-spirited and obstructionist US bureaucracy.
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