Scott,

I know that my hubby's is NOT Russian... however... Having seen first hand both my husband and his family come to America with no English, jobs, and some of his friends without many contacts... I can tell you that the biggest thing that this couple should do is learn English and then assimilate.

It is very easy to find a little enclave that will let you live in a pocket of "home" and not force you to learn English or the American customs. This is a trap and will only lead to dead end low paying jobs, scams and other issues. It becomes a crutch and very had to break free of. I know how hard it is to just pick up and move and be clueless, you want to have people like you nearby who understand you and you can relate to. But if you can, try not to do that or at least for not very long.

You have to stop thinking of Russia as your home and think that the US is now your home. If you always say "oh, I'm going back to live there," then you will never fit in and accept things the way that they are here and make the effort needed.

You have to go get a GED and try and get US college credit for anything you have already done before and then start on working to get more US college credits or a degree, even a little goes a long way here. Just having a GED made a huge difference for my hubby and sister-in-law. Maybe the one who has a job can get free money from their employer for school.