The Hardest Part… OVIR, Visas and Immigration

The hardest part about living in Ukraine on a long-term basis relates to Visa and Immigration issues. This puts me on roughly the same terms as being a Mexican with a Green Card in the United States. That is someone who follows the rules – who is legally residing in the country.

Here, while it is possible to live illegally in Ukraine – if you are caught, you will be expelled unless you have a lot of money. Certainly, if you came to Ukraine and started waving a US Flag around outside the capitol protesting anything, you would not be there very long.

Countries have borders, countries have laws. Abiding by them is not always easy. That accounts for the 2% of the time that I’ve been here; about 2 days in every 100; that are nerve wracking. Every 90 days means either a trip to the OVIR Office for registration or a trip to the border – preferably to a different country. That can make the average daily cost of living here a bit higher. Still, we go through with it – it is the law.

The hard part, however – is that the laws change frequently in Ukraine. It is, as well, often a matter of who you ask and when you ask them. If you come back a couple hours later, odds are you will get a totally different answer. That’s what makes it hard – but the immigration laws in the United States do not change that frequently. So, even if you think you have gotten it right – it is difficult to be 100% certain. That is about the only grief I have with all of Ukraine.

Okay – well, that and there’s no maple syrup at the grocery store. Aside from that – no grief. That’s not to say that you might not find some grief in Ukraine. Ukraine requires flexibility and patience – with the understanding that nothing is ever easy, but then… very few things are ever very urgent.