Leaving behind a familiar life and moving to another country is never easy. We are launching a series of stories from our clients who have taken this journey with Relogate and obtained visas that open up new opportunities. Pavel Voropaev is one of them. His relocation to France with the Passeport Talent Projet Innovant visa was full of surprises: a long search for an accelerator and an initial visa rejection. However, Pavel persevered—he moved to Lyon, launched a tech startup, and started a new chapter of his life. How do you navigate bureaucracy, find housing, and establish connections in a new environment?–Pavel shares his insights and experiences in our interview.
First, I already had friends who had moved to Lyon and spoke highly of the city. Second, as I was told by Relogate, the approval and renewal statistics for visas here are quite good, which played a role in my decision. My visa is currently valid for one year, and in a few months, I will need to renew it for four years. The processing time and approval rates vary by region in France. After weighing the options, we concluded that Lyon was a favorable choice. So, we decided to spend at least the first year here, explore the country, and decide our next steps.
I have no communication issues with the French, probably because I don’t have a language barrier—I speak French and English, so integration has been smooth. For example, I run with a local club and plan to enroll in a program taught in French. Overall, my wife and I try not to isolate ourselves within the Russian-speaking community because the more you limit yourself initially, the harder it is to expand your social circle later.
I strongly believe that from day one, you should engage in various activities and seek out local friends. This helps you get used to the way people communicate, make new acquaintances, and better understand how the city and its residents live. For example, I love that in Lyon, almost every second person rides a bike. There are plenty of hiking trails, people frequently go to bars in the evenings, and there are lots of live music concerts. In short, there are activities for every taste—the key is not to stay in your comfort zone.
As for the stereotype that life in France is tough without knowing French, I disagree. Of course, if you walk into a café and start speaking English right away, it might not be well received. But if you begin with a polite "Bonjour" and ask if they speak English, people are usually friendly.
I think the idea that the French are difficult people is exaggerated. They are calm, friendly, and live at a comfortable pace. For example, during lunch breaks, many people work out or go for a run in the park, and then have lunch together for up to two hours. It’s a time for socializing rather than just grabbing a quick bite and getting back to work, as is common in Moscow. I also notice that people here don’t get absorbed in their phones during meals—they genuinely interact with each other. Overall, people seem more relaxed, happier, and focused on their lives. I have never encountered any negativity toward me for being Russian. On the contrary, I’ve only experienced kindness and goodwill. But I should add that I am naturally a sociable and friendly person.
So far, I haven’t encountered French bureaucracy to the extent people often describe. The biggest challenge for me has been renting an apartment. Here, having a permanent employment contract (CDI) is key. People with such contracts belong to the highest tier of society—they receive stable salaries, and even if they lose their jobs, they get unemployment benefits for life. For landlords, these tenants are much more desirable than entrepreneurs, even if they have money. To them, an entrepreneur is someone who "has money today but might not tomorrow." This is very different from the Russian reality, where entrepreneurship is often seen as a strong asset.
For now, we are living in an Airbnb. The owner introduced me to the real estate agent she bought the apartment from. We figured out which areas we like and learned that the rental market here has a seasonality factor. Many expats move in the summer, so apartments become available around that time. I assume we’ll have to stay in short-term rentals for a few more months before finding a long-term place. Here, everything seems to take time—it’s not like Moscow, where things happen quickly. In France, it feels like everything needs to "age like fine wine."
My project is related to advertising campaigns in the metaverse, specifically on the Roblox platform. It is the largest gaming platform in the world, with over 400 million active users every month. In Roblox, companies can create their own branded games, and many brands use this as a marketing tool. We help businesses develop these games and launch advertising campaigns to attract users. Our advertising network currently reaches around 50 million unique players.
I had a similar business in Russia, but I started from scratch in Europe. During our accelerator pitch, we demonstrated that France has a high concentration of Roblox players and many brands already investing in metaverse marketing. This helped justify why we needed to develop our business here.
The entire process took about a year. We started working with Relogate in November, expecting it to take 6–8 months, but it ended up being slightly longer. The most time-consuming part was finding an accelerator—many of them have fixed intake periods, so if you miss the window, you have to wait for the next one.
The accelerator interview was relatively easy and quick—it lasted about 30 minutes. They asked if we were ready to invest money and whether we had the funds to cover the program. Answering “yes” to both questions was enough. Relogate handled the entire application process, structured the pitch deck, and reached out to different accelerators. My role was simply to show up for the interview—the team did everything else.
When we first applied for the visa in Istanbul, we were completely confident everything would go smoothly. All our documents were in order, we had an accelerator backing us, and we even had an official letter from the ministry. And then—bam, rejection. It was the most stressful moment of the entire process.
We had already given up our apartment, bought plane tickets, and were preparing to celebrate. Instead, we received a rejection notice. I even filmed myself opening my passport, expecting to capture a happy moment—only to find nothing inside. My face in that video perfectly captures the "What the hell?" feeling.
But there was no time to dwell on it. The very next day, we bought tickets and flew to Moscow. Relogate informed us that several applications had recently been approved there, so we decided to try again. We submitted the exact same documents, and two weeks later, we got our visas. That was a huge relief, and within a month, we had moved to France.
