Not necessarily so. One of the girls working with me from Ukraine here has a 5 year USA visa. She visited California about 18 months ago. I appreciate she's Ukrainian and not Russian, but I doubt there'd be much difference.
I think we should be very careful of what message we may portray and before we may answer a question with a 'black and white' answer question ourselves why another is asking such a question.
For some 10 tears the favoured scam emitting from the Kazan area of Russia has been, to the effect, "I love you, I want to have your babies, I come to visit you, I sleep with you, I have sex with you, you send me money for trip".
Should we be giving the impression that what she says is reasonable, is possible, or ..... ?
it is possible if she can list reasons why she has commitments in Russia and will return; such as a good professional job, minor children left behind and property. without good "proofs" she will return, the impression will be she will not return and disappear in the usa. also, visiting family in the usa is a reason to visit.
as Franklcsw said, its not impossible, if you know what you are doing.
there's always angles on visa stamps.
firstly its picking the right type of visa, not sure about the states but tourist visas are always the hardest to get.
then theres ticking the right box's and giving them all the right answers and proofs that gives that particular country you are dealing with little dealt to question her.
if its lies or not thats another story.
but to ask such on here shows you really dont understand the ins and outs of this, it can be a whole lot complicated for new people,, so as Fsulover suggests no chance.
which brings in Ivor's thoughts, someone's playing with you.
I think it's a good idea to explore the possibilities of her/them coming over here, vs. us having to travel there!!! She's going to live here,,, it helps her much more too!!
The girl I speak of is from a church in Mariupol, and went to visit a church in Saddleback for a few months, and so her invitation was from them. They knew her because she was their main liaison every time they visited Ukraine. Consequently, they knew her VERY well, and were able to strongly support her application with full knowledge of her intentions - this is obviously a world away from sending money to someone you've never met.
I think pretty much everyone here would agree that sending money is just stupid if it's to someone you don't know well, as is supporting a fiance visa for someone you don't know. We should, as Ivor says, avoid portraying visa's and visiting as 'black and white' as the scams. Other people do get other visas!
I have been thinking about getting visa for my wife's sister to visit next year. but it will be difficult for her to get time from work. they do not accrue vacation time in the way that many here in the states do. and not even close to what the aussies have.
has anyone ever tried to get a usa visa for a family member from russia? I'm sure I will be able to present credible evidence that she will return home in a couple weeks to go back to work.
The difficulty of getting USA visas for Russian (and other FSU) citizens is rather famous.
However, things are perhaps changing. In recent years, 3 young Ukrainian women (daughters of a friend) all got multi-year multi-entry visitor visas without difficulty.
A Russian friend just reported to me that people she knows personally have recently obtained similar visas to the USA without having to prove that they own real estate in Russia, or passing through the other hoops that were traditionally required. It seemed to my friend that the USA visitor visa process is now pro-forma for Russians.
I don't have any statistical data to go along with this, but it is suggestive of a thaw. Maybe the original poster's question is more realistic than many of us thought.
Now that you mention it -- I also know a Ukrainian girl who has never had a full-time job, lives with mom & dad, etc. etc. She has made repeated trips to England without difficulty.
It is not that hard for Russians to come here. For tourists they have to show that they have enough in the bank to cover their visit. Also, they can come here under tourist visa to look at colleges and universities for further studies. Tourist visa can be 90 days or a year, and can be extended for further time periods.
For students, they can come on a J-1, as long as they have a job offer. And the company checks out ok. Normally, this is for 3-4 months.
For Interns, H-1B visa. Job offer must included wages, and it is better if employer offers housing options. Offer must be in line with their major from college. Normally this is for 1 year period.
Ok, with all that said, I have 4 Russian women for interns this year (2011), and 4 Russian women J-1 students for the summer working for me.
Because the original post did not describe much in detail, then much detail can not be given.