Canadian who moved his family to Russia for ‘traditional values’ says he no longer recommends it: permanent residency would require signing a Defense Ministry contract — Meduza
meduza.io
Canadian farmer Arend Feenstra, who moved to Russia through a streamlined immigration program for citizens of “unfriendly” countries who share “traditional values,” has complained that he cannot get a permanent residence permit. The news outlet Nizhny Novgorod Onlain drew attention to his YouTube video.

Canadian farmer Arend Feenstra, who moved to Russia through a streamlined immigration program for citizens of “unfriendly” countries who share “traditional values,” has complained that he cannot get a permanent residence permit. The news outlet Nizhny Novgorod Onlain drew attention to his YouTube video.

Feenstra received a three-year temporary residence permit in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region in early 2025. He then brought his wife and eight children to Russia and began farming.

But Feenstra has now learned that to replace his temporary residence permit with a permanent one, he must sign a contract with Russia’s Defense Ministry.

  • spaghettiwestern@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    102·
    5 hours ago

    I didn’t come here to sign a contract. I’d rather take my chances in Canada, though I think living there is risky too.

    You’d have to watch Canadian society treat people you hate with respect. The horror.

    • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.worldEnglish
      42·
      8 hours ago

      Nonsense. Just move to Alberta.

      All the racists and incel roughnecks and insane police violence and systematic rape of first nations peoples. You just don’t have a risk of being pushed into the Ukraine meat grinder.

      • 🇨🇦GreenBeard🇨🇦@lemmy.caEnglish
        13·
        6 hours ago

        Please, no. Please? This is how we got into this mess in the first place. We were slightly more conservative than the Canadian average 25 years ago and then all the rest of the country dumped their social rejects on us. Our population doubled in like 10 years and now we have Danielle Smith running the province. Please, I’m begging you, stop sending every failed Ontario washout to Alberta.

        • BurgerBaron@quokk.auEnglish
          1·
          10 minutes ago

          If these are Ontario’s deplorables I’m not sure who’s left in Ontario of any quality given who they keep electing with abysmal voter turnout.

        • blartcap_@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
          2·
          43 minutes ago

          They’re not being sent, they’re being called to Alberta. Did you know Alberta has been heavily advertising in other provinces to get people to move there? They’ve been doing this for over ten years now. They have huge multimillion ad campaigns to lure people over.

        • ObtuseDoorFrame@lemmy.zipEnglish
          7·
          4 hours ago

          Isn’t Alberta where all the best hiking is? I’ve often thought about where I would want to live in Canada if they ever accepted me and I would prefer to live where there’s mountains and hiking. Did they really turn the prettiest province into a dumping ground for their worst people?