Snowden granted residency permit, days after Obama said no one wants to immigrate to Russia.

Watching Obama run the US is just getting painful, or laughable, depending on how you see things. Remember a couple of days ago when Obama said this during an Economist interview…

“Immigrants aren’t rushing to Moscow in search of opportunity.”

Fact is, after the U.S.A., Russia hosts the world’s largest population of immigrants. Russia experiences a constant flow of immigration. On average, close to 300,000 legal immigrants enter the country every year…and now one famous NSA agent by the name of Edward Snowden.

Just about every news wire has confirmed that Edward Snowden has been granted a residence permit in Russia, which is valid for three years, starting on August 1, the former NSA contractor’s lawyer announced.

For anyone living under a rock the last year…

Edward Snowden was granted temporary asylum in Russia a year ago, after he left the US and went to Hong Kong in May 2013, from where he leaked confidential files to mass media concerning the NSA’s overwhelming surveillance.

Snowden then planned to seek refuge in Cuba, but found himself stranded at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport, after his American passport was annulled by US authorities.

RT has some feedback from Snowden’s lawyers…

“On the first of August he [Snowden] received a three-year residence permit,” lawyer Anatoly Kucherena told reporters. “He will be able to travel freely within the country and go abroad. He’ll be able to stay abroad for not longer than three months.”

The former NSA contractor will be able to apply for the Russian citizenship in five years.

“A foreign citizen, who got a residence permit, will certainly be able to apply for citizenship,” Kucherena said. “There has been no request which complies with international law,” the lawyer said.

“By all means he is homesick,” his lawyer said. “It was hard for him to find himself far from home, especially for the first time. Of course, in the future Edward will make up his mind on whether to stay in Russia and apply for citizenship or to leave for the US. He hasn’t done this yet.”

Snowden is expected to hold a press conference in Russia as soon as it will be possible. He has not asked for political asylum, or made up his mind whether he wants Russian citizenship. For now Snowden simply says, ‘life in Russia is much happier than being unfairly tried in US.’

References:

http://rt.com/news/178680-snowden-stay-russia-residence/