MEMO FOR FOREIGN STUDENTS OF RGISI

 

                                                                I.General Information

          

          HOW TO RECEIVE AN INVITATION TO ENTER THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

 

Invitations are made only for foreign citizens who have been accepted into the Institute. Prospective students are responsible for obtaining their own visas during the admissions exams.

Invitations are made on the basis of photocopies of students’ current national passports, which must be valid for up to no less than 1.5 months before the future visa expires. The amount of time it takes for an invitation to be processed and issued is 20 working days from the moment documents are submitted to the immigration service. Invitations can be received in person or through a trustee. They can also be sent via express mail, in which case it is the foreign citizen’s obligation to pay for the postage.

This invitation forms the basis for processing an entrance visa, valid for three months. Upon entry to the Russian Federation, the visa can be changed to a multi-entry one.

The visa contains the following information:

Purpose of visit - EDUCATION, COURSES OR POSTGRADUATE STUDY.

Host organization – the name of the Institute that invited you.

Upon receiving your visa, check that your name and other details are written correctly. Your name as written on your visa should match your name on your passport and education documents (also, the Russian translation of your name should be the same in your visa and in the translation of your education documents).

After receiving your invitation you must process your visa and inform the International Office about the date of your arrival. You must then appear in the International Office the day after your arrival (unless that day falls on a Saturday or Sunday) between 10 AM and 5 PM with your passport and migration card, which you received when you passed through Immigration at the Russian border.

 

                                              RESIDENCE HALL.

If you are offered a place in the residence hall, upon arrival in St. Petersburg you can go directly there at: 8 Opochinina Ulitsa, Vasilievsky Island. You will then be given a key to the room assigned to you. The cost of living at the residency hall is not included in the cost of tuition. Incoming students can begin living on the residence hall as of 29 August. 

                                                    SIGNING OF THE CONTRACT.

The tuition contract is drafted and signed in the International Office for the entire period of tuition. The deadlines and form of annual tuition payment are defined in the contract itself.

Payment is made once per semester.

The contract is signed in two copies. Tuition payments are made with Visa or MasterCard credit or debit cards as a single sum.

You must ensure in advance that your card has enough funds to cover the cost of a semester’s tuition and room and board in the residency hall immediately after signing the contract. In case of having insufficient funds (or exceeding the limit on your card), you will be denied access to classes. Payment must be made in the timeframe delineated in the contract.

 

                              ORGANIZATION OF INSTRUCTION.

Classes at the Institute begin on 1 September. The academic year lasts 10 months and is divided into 2 semesters. The first semester runs from 1 September until 31 January. The second semester runs from 1 February until 30 June.

After enrolment (except in the case of short-term courses), students receive IDs at the dean’s office and, before each exam session, a grade book. The student ID must be carried by students at all times.

The grade book is necessary when taking exams during the exam session, as instructors write students’ exam grades directly into them. At the end of each exam session, students must submit their grade books and student ID to the Dean’s office.

Students must attend all the classes in their schedule, which can be found in their faculty.

 

                                             MEDICAL INSURANCE.

Each student must have medical insurance for the entire duration of their studies, with coverage in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region, that includes the following services:

- outpatient care, or being able to summon first aid to their place of residence,

- emergency hospitalization in case of life-or health-threatening symptoms,

-  ambulance services.

To acquire medical insurance, students must consult the International Office on the very first day that they visit the Institute. Medical insurance can be purchased from any insurance company in St. Petersburg or through the International Office. Payment must be covered by the student.

(Statute of the Government of the Russian Federation № 546, 01.09.2005)

 

                                                      SAFETY.

Follow the following safety rules:

1. Always carry with you your national passport, visa (glued to your passport), migration card, student ID and notification of migration. It is also possible to make high-quality photocopies of these documents and have them notarized at the Institute’s International Office.
2. Only exchange currency at specialized exchange agents or in banks.
3. When making any payment, do not pull out all of the money you have on you or otherwise reveal how much you have.
4. Keep your money and documents in the inside pockets of your jacket or coat. Do not carry them in bags.
5. Do not leave your documents, belongings or luggage unattended.

 

 

                                       

                       DISCOUNT TRANSPORTATION IN ST. PETERSBURG

All FULL-TIME students are eligible for discounted transportation in St. Petersburg. Transport cards must be purchased by you individually at any metro cashier or on www.карта-онлайнюрф. If you cannot find your details on the website, you must consult the International Office.

 

                                            Main Terms.

Invitation to enter the Russian Federation – a document that forms the basis for being permitted entry into the Russian Federation. It is presented at consulates of the Russian Federation abroad in order to process a regular student visa, the duration of which can be extended once in the territory of the Russian Federation. It takes 20 working days for an invitation to be issued by the immigration services.

 

Migration Card – a document given to a foreign citizen when entering the Russian Federation, to be filled out by them. Students must keep their migration cards throughout the entire duration of their stay in the Russian Federation until they leave the country.

Visa –  a document glued to a foreign citizen’s passport that contains information about that citizen, the purpose of their visit, the duration of their stay (the visa’s period of validity), the name of the host organization and the number of entries allowed (single or multiple).

Notification –  a document given by the local branch of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, confirming a foreign citizen’s right to be on the territory of the Russian Federation.

 

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FOR ADMISSION INTO THE INSTITUTE

 

 1. Original education document (degree/diploma) with attached transcript of grades received.

2.  Notarized Russian translation of copies of the education document with attached transcript containing the number of hours of study for each discipline

(This can be done in St. Petersburg)

 

2. Certificate of equivalency of high school or undergraduate education documents received from the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation.

See the website www.nic.gov.ru for more information (in Russian, English and French).

Recognition – this is an official confirmation by the relevant authority of the validity of a foreign educational degree, which grants that person access to educational or professional activity.

(Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region (Lisbon, 11 April 1997), ratified by the Russian Federation on 4 May 2000 under Federal Law № 65-ФЗ.

The recognition of foreign education and (or) qualifications in the Russian Federation is covered by article 107 of Federal Law № 273-ФЗ (29.12.2012) «On education in the Russian Federation» (hereafter – the Law).

        On the territory of the Russian Federation, documents from foreign countries аttesting to a person’s level of education and (or) qualification are recognized if they are covered by international agreements signed by the Russian Federation. Those holding documents from foreign countries attesting to their level of education and (or) qualifications have the same academic and (or) professional rights, enjoyed by those holding documents attesting to their level of education and  (or) qualifications issued by the Russian Federation.

   

On the basis of the above, those holding documents attesting to their level of education and (or) qualification from foreign countries, covered by international agreements signed by the Russian Federation, do not require additional procedures for receiving recognition or a Certificate.

 

Those holding documents that fall under the list covered by international agreements must receive a resolution from the Expert Center of Appraisal of Education Documents, located at: Office 205, 27 Ulitsa Matata, St. Petersburg. Phone: (812) 602-23-30, Website:www.avrir.ru

 

3.  Copy of national passport

 

4. 6 matte photographs sized  3cm х 4cm

 

5. Medical certificate of health in Russian, indicating that the applicant has no condition that would prevent them from studying in the Russian Federation (to be submitted to the International Office)

 

6. HIV test certificate (to be submitted to the International Office)

 

Students accepted into the Institute must purchase medical insurance, in accordance with Statute № 546 of the Russian Federation (01.09.2005). Foreign citizens at an institute of higher learning must have medical insurance in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region covering the entire period of their studies. It can be purchased independently from any insurance company or requested through the International Office.

 

The insurance policy must provide the following services on the territory of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region:

- ambulatory care,

- outpatient care, being able to summon first aid to their place of residence,

- emergency hospitalization in case of life-threatening symptoms,

-  ambulance services.

 

Invitations for entry are issued to foreign citizens accepted into RGISI. To receive one they must contact the Institute’s International Office while undergoing the entrance exams. The processing period of invitations made in the local branch of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is 20 working days.

 

international@rgisi.ru  Office Telephone (812) 272 17 89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Registration

For those entering the Russian Federation 

With or without a visa

 

All foreign citizens entering the territory of the Russian Federation upon an invitation from the INSTITUTE MUST within 2 days (EXCLUDING SATURDAY AND SUNDAY) of crossing the border of the Russian Federation (as evinced by a stamp on their migration card),

NOTIFY THE INTERNATIONAL OFFICE

and provide its employees with the following documents:

national passport, migration card stamped at the point of entry, visa.

Copies of these documents, along with a set of letters and notices prepared by the international office, are submitted by them for REGISTRATION to the migration service of St. Petersburg.

1. Initial registration is made for the duration of the consular entry visa.

 2. In order to receive a multi-entry visa, foreign citizens MUST provide the international office with the following documents no later than 30 days before their consular visa expires:

- passport, migration card, 1 photograph (3cm x 4cm), receipt of payment for the state fee for visa processing, copy of tuition contract

The processing period of a multi-entry visa in the St. Petersburg office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is 20 working days.

3.  Foreign citizens entering the country without a visa are likewise required within 2 days of crossing the border of the Russian Federation to report to the international office and provide the employee handling migration registration their national passport and migration card (citizens of the Republic of Belarus need only provide their passport). Students studying at the Institute under contract must also provide their tuition contract. Migration registration is made on the basis of these documents.

 

IMPORTANT!

1. In case of hospitalization in the Russian Federation, foreign citizens MUST INFORM THE COURSE DIRECTOR, STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE AND INTERNATIONAL OFFICE. They must have on their person their medical insurance policy, passport, migration card and migration registration, as the address on it must be changed to that of the hospital.

Upon leaving the hospital, foreign citizens (students) MUST obtain their new migration registration in the hospital and within 24 HOURS of leaving report to the international office to begin the process of obtaining a new migration registration at the Institute’s address.

2.  Before leaving the Russian Federation or traveling to other cities within the Russian Federation, foreign students MUST inform the employees of the international office of the purpose of their trip, its duration and destination. When staying in hotels in other cities of the Russian Federation, foreign citizens MUST obtain a new migration registration at the hotel and submit it to the Institute’s international office within 24 HOURS of returning to St. Petersburg.

3. In case of a change in residence within the territory of St. Petersburg (Leningrad Region), foreign citizens must within 2 business days (excluding public holidays and weekends), inform the international office.

4. In case of loss of documents (national passport, visa, migration card, migration registration), foreign citizens must immediately report the loss of their documents to the nearest police station to the place where they were lost or disappeared in order to receive a report on the incident, and then inform the international office.

5. Foreign citizens MUST keep track of the validity periods of their visa and national passport and extend their validity in a timely manner.

6. Upon concluding their studies, expulsion or taking a leave of absence, foreign citizens must leave the Russian Federation within the timeframe delineated by the Institute’s administration (but no later than 3 days after formally concluding their studies).

* Students’ national passports must be valid for more than 6 months past the expiration date of their visas.

7. Foreign students are only permitted to work during vacation or in their free time with the express written permission of their course director.

8. Foreign citizens who commit crimes, administrative or otherwise, within the territory of the Russian Federation are subject to the same laws as citizens of the Russian Federation.

 

 

 

Failure by a foreign citizen to follow these rules will result in a fine of 2,000 – 5,000 rubles, along with fingerprinting and removal from the territory of the Russian Federation. Along with the student, the employees of the international office are also subject to a fine of 25,000 – 40,000 rubles, and the Institute itself to a fine of up to 800,000 rubles

I understand the contents of this document____________________________________

(last name, first name and signature date)

Legal basis: Federal Law № 109-ФЗ, 115-ФЗ «On the legal status of foreign citizens and stateless persons in the Russian Federation»