UGLOBAL . COM 113
consultant / contractor in designing and programing Audio DSP / Embedded systems . Some of my designs are in your iPhones , iPads , in Samsung , Xiaomi , Oppo , LG phones .
How did you end up gaining multiple citizenships ?
I was born in Minsk , Belarus , was really into Chemistry and Physics , so in 1975 was accepted to Moscow State University , Physics Department . Since graduating from Moscow State University in 1982 with M . Sc . degree in Physics , I was working on my Ph . D . at the MSU Nuclear Physics institute . Then in 1986 Perestroika happened , I left university and with three friends we started our own consulting company , Infotech , working on computer design and programming . In 1989 , I started consulting for KDS International from Berkeley , California , and they invited me to come and work for them in the U . S . I received an H-1 visa and came to USA in September of 1989 , just before the big 6.9 magnitude Loma-Prieta earthquake hit the Bay Area ! That was the welcome mat rolled out by California for me ! My family joined me on an H-4 visa later on in 1990 . After that , I accepted another job and received another H-1 visa , and finally in 1992 received the green card . In 1998 , our family became American citizens .
I did contracting and consulting jobs for companies like Adobe , Apple , Microsoft , KLA-Tencor , Mitsui Comtek , DTI , Advanced Signal , Maxim Integrated , and others .
Why did you feel the need to acquire another passport when you already had a powerful one from the U . S .? What was your motivation ?
I am very happy with all the benefits my U . S . passport provided for international travel , both for pleasure and business , but after my children graduated from colleges and started working , we all noticed that something was missing . Every year , our whole family used to go and travel to Europe , South America , Asia etc ., so it was no accident that my children grew up very international . After graduating from Stanford , William and Mary University , UC Berkeley and UC San Diego , some of them took jobs in Europe , so at some point three out of all four children were working and living in the EU . And that ’ s when it became clear to me and them that we should do something , and to find a better solution than renewing a working visa every year , tracking and following the 90 / 180 rule , and even doing visa-runs . Additionally , I was beginning to plan for my retirement sometime in 2025-2026 and wanted to have the ability to spend my time roughly equally between the U . S . and Europe , without any extra visa headaches . And , also , for all my children to enjoy the same benefits and opportunities of being both USA and EU citizens .
Why did you choose Bulgaria to gain a passport from a European country via investment ? What did you invest in ?
So I set up these objectives : 1 . Receive either EU permanent residency or EU citizenship , so I will not be limited by the 90 / 180 rule . 2 . To have clean and well-defined path to permanently settle anywhere in Europe for the retirement , if needed . 3 . Allow my children to receive the same unlimited travel , work and residency benefits in the EU .