Covid-19: the obstacle course of Russian student Ania to get to the United States
Unable to obtain an American visa in their country, the Russians have to go through a real obstacle course to obtain their sesame.
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Vaccinated tourists can once again travel to the United States without restrictions, an option the Russians do not have.
Unable to obtain an American visa in their country, they must complete a real obstacle course to obtain their sesame.
A particularly difficult situation for the students.
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With our correspondent in Moscow
,
Jean-Didier Revoin
Ania, 25, is paying the price for the deterioration of
diplomatic relations between Moscow and Washington
. Next January, she will begin a course in San Diego which will allow her to become a film director. But to get her student visa, she had to travel to Kiev at the end of August. "
I signed up for a date last summer, and at that time the performances in Ukraine, Kazakhstan and a few other countries were open
."
Since then, it has become even more complicated.
Only those who reside in Ukraine can benefit from this option.
Of course, other American representations are open in Europe, but the deadlines are very long, as Ania explains: “
I looked at the list of free places for a meeting that there was in Madrid and this is in mid-July next year
”.
A vaccination recognized by Washington
It is the ban on US diplomatic representations from counting local staff among their employees since the end of the summer that has caused this situation.
Forced to lay off their Russian staff, these representations had to limit their offer of services to a minimum and, except in exceptional cases, the granting of visas was not one of them.
With her visa in hand, Ania, who received her two doses of Sputnik V, has yet to be vaccinated with a product recognized in the United States.
But since these vaccines are not available in Russia, she will once again have to go abroad.
"
Russian tourists can get vaccinated in several countries.
For example, I think going to Greece is one of the easiest and most pleasant ways: I can travel a bit and also rest before studying.
",
If all goes according to plan, she will finally be able to fly to the United States on December 6.
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