Russia's Shared Values visa draws Western applicants seeking traditional values

Russia introduced the Shared Values visa in 2024, granting up to three years of temporary residency to citizens of countries it labels unfriendly. Applicants pay a 1,600-rouble administrative fee, pass medical and criminal-record checks, and must state they reject what the government calls destructive neoliberal ideology.

The program does not provide housing or financial support. After three years, holders must either obtain a permanent residence permit by passing language and history exams or leave the country. Russian authorities reported nearly 3,400 applications by spring 2026, though independent verification of approval numbers is unavailable.

Experiences of new residents Leo Hare, who received asylum from Texas in late 2023, initially praised the move and appeared in state media coverage. Within weeks he said the family lost 5 million roubles to fraud, became homeless, and later separated, with older children returning to the United States.

He now works as an English tutor in Ivanovo and says he misses certain American freedoms while remaining committed to staying. Ben, who moved from Derby in 2023 after meeting a Russian partner, lives in Kursk near the Ukrainian border. He describes daily life as safer and Russians as friendly, yet rejects portrayals of Russia as a conservative utopia, citing high divorce rates and widespread acceptance of abortion.

Philip Hutchinson, a former UK Conservative Party candidate now based in Moscow, assists other Westerners with relocation. He says he avoids discussing the war in Ukraine and presents the visa as the simplest route to residency rather than a political statement.