“We make travel and relocation accessible, comfortable and safe for Russians,” — founder and owner of the migration company “VIP Migration Service” Maria Karim

In an ever-changing world and geopolitical changes, issues of travel and relocation are becoming increasingly relevant for Russians. And today the company “VIP Migration Service”, which was founded by migration specialist Maria Karim, acts as a reliable partner for clients. In an interview with Medium, the expert shares his experience, talks about overcoming obstacles, and also gives valuable advice to those who are thinking about moving and looking for new business prospects.

— Maria, please tell us about your professional path. How did you get into the field of migration and tourism?

— It all started after school, when I got a job at a travel agency and at the same time entered the Kazan Innovation University, the Faculty of Tourism. I come from a poor family, so in order to pay for university education, I had to earn money on my own. Thanks to my professional agency experience and excellent understanding of the industry, I was able to pass the exams as an external student. After graduation, I got a job at another travel company. Despite my young age (I was 20 years old at the time), in two years I managed to go from ordinary employee to manager. We dealt with business trips, visas, tickets, travel. However, with the onset of the pandemic, I was laid off and moved to Turkey, where I decided to start my own business.

Working for a travel company made me realize that I could provide the same services on my own. I started selling tours, arranging visas, and helping with legalization in other countries. The flow of clients increased, many people wanted to live and develop in other countries. Gradually, after the end of the pandemic and the opening of new directions, I expanded my business, founded the company “VIP Migration Service” with the head office in Dubai.

At first I worked alone, then I recruited a team, and today we have issued a total of more than 750 visas and residence permits. We launched the system and automated some processes. All employees have official employment, high salaries, special packages, good interest rates and, of course, monetary motivation. I have great respect for everyone and they are doing great work.

— What is the activity of the company “VIP Migration Service”?

— Our goal is to show and prove to Russians that migration is easy. We offer opportunities for developing foreign business, opening companies and accounts in different countries. We deal with migration issues, visas, residence permits in the European Union, North America, England, Canada, Turkey and other countries. In the United Arab Emirates, for example, we help with legalization, including obtaining a residence permit and Emirates ID. Here the emphasis is on quick legalization — within a month a person receives a full package of documents and can build his life, his business. In a word, we provide turnkey services.

We have VIP service for all clients. This means that only a minimum package of documents is required from the client — we take care of all processes. We take care of our clients, resolve all issues regarding our services very quickly, and work in a straightforward manner. We conclude an agreement with each one, in which we specify all the guarantees, including a clause on a 100% refund if something goes wrong on our part. Fortunately, we have not had such cases yet.

We help famous personalities under sanctions with solving problems related to travel, opening bank accounts and other legalization issues. We offer unique services, working even with countries that have imposed sanctions on Russians.

In addition, in each country we have trusted partners — real estate companies. I give them client contacts, and they help migrants rent or buy housing.

- What destinations are especially popular among Russians? And why?

— Currently, Greece, Italy and France are the most popular destinations for obtaining visas among Russians. Of course, the United Arab Emirates, where they treat us friendly and where there is the possibility of quick legalization.

In general, before we recommend a country for moving or traveling with each client, we conduct a consultation, draw up a brief, which consists of several important points: knowledge of the language, professional field, climate preferences, presence of family and children and, of course, budget. That is, knowledge of the language is mandatory, especially for work, if you are not a freelancer who can work from anywhere in the world. It is also important to understand what age your children are in order to place them in a suitable kindergarten, school or university. In some countries, by the way, there are Russian-language educational institutions. The same goes for the climate: if you like cold weather, then we are considering the Scandinavian countries — Finland, Sweden, Norway, Estonia. If the climate is warmer, then Italy, Spain, Portugal and other countries in the southern European region. Next is the budget available to the client. If he can afford a high standard of living and comfort, then we consider, for example, the UAE. If the threshold is lower, then Asian countries such as Indonesia, Bali, Thailand, Vietnam, India.

Next, I talk about the features of each country, down to how you need to dress, how to behave in public places, etc. Because a person must understand where he is going. Also explain the taxation system in detail. If a client wants to open a company, how much will it cost? In Dubai, for example, to open a company, you will need about 2 million rubles. In Europe, about 500 thousand rubles.

And thus, together with the client, we come to a conclusion about which country is suitable for him according to his request, we do legalization, visa, etc.

— Maria, what to expect from «VIP Migration Service» soon? What challenges are you facing in the new year?

— We have huge potential in developing migration services, so we will continue to expand into various countries. Our goal is to provide clients with fast and high-quality services with a guarantee of legalization, to show that travel can be accessible to everyone.

I plan to seriously invest in social projects, universities and retreat centers. I am also writing a book and aim to share my experience on various platforms, including TED. It is important to me to support people and show that everyone can achieve their goals if they have self-belief and perseverance.

And soon it is planned to organize an event that promises to be a breakthrough. A little more and you will find out everything yourself.