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
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.
We’ve already […] grown attached to this place. I didn’t come here to sign a contract. I understand what it’s for and why [the authorities] want you to sign it. But I have eight young children at home and a farm. […] In that case, I’d rather take my chances in Canada, though I think living there is risky too.
Feenstra said that once his current temporary residence permit expires, he will be able to apply for temporary residence again without signing a contract. He also said his family no longer recommends that other foreigners move to Russia because the authorities keep changing the rules and “there’s no way forward.”
The program, launched in August 2024, encourages foreigners from “unfriendly” countries who share “traditional Russian spiritual and moral values” to immigrate to Russia. Participants receive temporary residence permits through a simplified application process that, among other things, does not require them to take Russian-language exams.
Since November 2025, foreign men ages 18 to 65 who are deemed fit for military service have been required to sign a contract with the Defense Ministry to obtain a permanent residence permit in Russia. People who moved to Russia through the “traditional values” program are not exempt from this requirement.
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