I'll be honest. I haven't exactly been looking for a job in St. Petersburg. There are so many things to do and people to see that I would rather just wait a little while. I also still have some work with my job from the fall, although they won't be able to issue me a work visa anytime soon.
I've started to entertain the idea of trying to obtain temporary residency. I want to do research, at least. I want to find out the truth about what's required. I've heard a range of rumors, from "it's not that bad" to "you'll die trying" (paraphrase). I've heard that it is only open to certain people, and I've also heard that anybody can try, as long as you have time to stand in line all day over several days. One firm said that they would offer to do the whole thing for only $6000 (wait in line for you and take care of all your paperwork).
I don't doubt that it's an intense process, and it probably wouldn't be good to be pursuing any career/educational advances simultaneously.
The advantage? 3-5 years of not worrying about visas.
