Look at Russia, you wouldn't last a week without being caught. The cops check every foreigners visas randomly and arrest them if they don't belong in the country.
If they really wanted to stop illegals they could. The wall was just a big show.
Well, not quite true. I was stopped by a cop in the metro because of my beard and sunglasses. To be fair, my beard needed a trim. He looked at my passport and walked away when he realized I was American. On train I needed a bandage after getting my hand cut on a door that had a sharp bit of metal. The officer in the dining car went with me to see where I got cut and then lost interest. He didn't care about documents and only wanted to check my story. In Shakhty I registered my residence with police at their station but after that, zero interest. Officer recording my details on a small form was bored and grumpy, zero fucks given.
Daily life was touring a tile factory, defunct shoe factory, farm market booths, looking at real estate, touring a local high school and signing autographs for a crowd of students who mistakenly got some idea I was a celebrity or something and going to a university theater show. Oh, and the sad zoo in Rostov.
So why no police interest ? Because, in Russia it's almost impossible to become a financial burden to the federation. If I wanted to stay I would need to ask and get permission to work or study. I got the impression it would be very simple from visiting government offices. Their paperwork is simple and streamlined. Bring along chocolate as bribes, take the right people to a nice restaurant and you will get what you need. Russians are easy to get along with and friendly. Only if you have ill intent will they go hard on you. Oh, best of all, blacks are rare.
You are safer in any Russian community as a white American than in your own house in USA.
As a foreigner the local police basically leave you alone. If you do a criminal act you would be turned over to federal security, FSB I think.
Some tips for travelers : You can access your USA bank account for rubles. No problem. You can convert $100.00 bill to rubles at any bank or with gangsters outside the main markets. I preferred the gangsters as their rate for exchange was lower. In Russia the bank robs you. Russians don't smile at strangers because it makes you seem like an idiot or a criminal. After they get to know you they become very friendly. Be careful not to get drunk and make a fool of yourself. One drink to be sociable is expected. Take great care to respect women at all times. They will love you for complimenting their cooking. If you visit a house bring chocolates for the lady whatever her marital status. There are stores that specialize in this. PDA is not appreciated so do your romance in private.
"Mouse traps": Don't go anywhere with strangers in a large city. Always be with a friend and never trust a big guy who is overly friendly and smiles a lot. That's not how Russians make friends.
Be ready for a practical joke at your expense. One on me was potato soup. It's fermented, watery and served ice cold. The host knew what I expected but instead of the rich cheesy version I had been served the week before in Obninsk that was appropriate for winter I got the cold summer version. When I protested in surprise that it was cold every one roared in laughter. They had been carefully watching for my reaction. At the university theater the joke was on me again when at the end of the play a large banner was unfurled depicting a huge US dollar which the actors all bowed down to in mock worship. The play had been rewritten by the director to feature a greedy American woman who wants to buy the heart of a condemned criminal. My Russian sucked so that's the gist of what I got out of it. Well played Mr. Director. So that was why he was so interested I attend his play. I went forward to give the lead actor a rose to show I took the joke without offense. Never think Russians don't have a sense of humor.
I have never met a Russian I didn’t like. I seem to get along very well with them. Thank you for your insight.
Yep. For the most part Russians presented themselves as decent, reasonable, practical, fair minded people. In their homes they were hospitable, engaging, amicable and exemplary hosts. In public they are reserved and polite tending toward being a bit cautious with strangers, not given to loud outbursts or rude and unseemly behavior. They prefer measured debate in even tones rather than loud arguments.
Of course there are always the exceptions who go loud and vulgar when crossed but that's more the exception rather than the norm. When you go to visit smaller cities do shop at the community markets which are more popular than corporate style supermarkets. There you will daily find booths where people rent a space to sell their products. There are booths featuring fresh eggs in bulk so find a store that can sell you a plastic egg carton or you will end up with a plastic bag of eggs to carry in a taxi like I did, having a nervous ride back to the house. Booths for local types of bread which is very fresh and varied in types from dark glazed sunflower seed bread which needs a hacksaw to slice to light fluffy braided loaves. Booths for various cheeses which are amazing. My favorite was braided, smoked string cheese. Some Korean-Russians ran a large stand selling all sorts of shredded and pickled veggies which Russians love. Flour tortillas were also for sale at another booth being sold as a Russian food. When I told them in USA it's thought of as a Mexican staple they were surprised , saying, "we've always had them. " . Everyone loves kvass so don't miss out on this favorite Russian beverage. In Shakhty city center is a train caboose stranded off the tracks, gaily painted in bright colors and selling rotisserie whole chicken. Very fresh and tender. Milk in Russia where I was came in a plastic bag. For this you should purchase a dispenser or you will end up frustrated after opening it.
Also, there's no social security nets for foreigners in russia as far as I know, and very little for citizens, it's not exactly like everybody is rushing to get into russia, unsurprisingly
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