Самара

Здравствуйте!

My letter of invitation is in the process of being drafted, and I will hopefully be living and working in Самара as early as February- god willing. My question lies in figuring out which visa will be most suitable for employment. I have discussed an 11 month contract with my employer, however the local consulate insists that the duration of my visa is strictly between my employers and the MFA. This is not an ideal situation, as I'm afraid (as I am a first-time visa holder) I might have to settle for a 3-month working visa and extend it- assuming I can get away with it. Alternatively, I have seen the business visa's, but again I run into the same problem.

The bad thing is my bosses are coming to me asking which visa I will be applying for (mainly for invitation purposes), and I have no idea what to tell them. Help! :bad:

EDIT: Also I'm reading now that it will be necessary for me to obtain an additional 'work permit.' Is there any truth to that? I'm just trying to differentiate between what I should personally be taking care of, and what my employers should be taking care of. Also to top it all off I'm an American citizen living as a permanent resident in Australia.