Does anyone have experience helping Russian friends/family apply for UK visas?
Yes its practically impossible and the expense versus success rate makes it not an option. Even before the war in Ukraine it was difficult I have been married to my Russian wife for four years and even the simple tourist visa was a rejection. The Family Visa is even worse with a cost of £3000 and you need to prove you earn over £35000 plus rejection rate is high and you will not be refunded your fee. All in all this why we are forced to live in Russia. My family visa to enter Russia is only £300 with little documents and a one year stay.
Oh my word. I’m sorry to hear that. That seems very unfair( Is it the same situation with tourist visas? I have a Russian friend who would like to visit the UK next year for no longer than a week or so.
Tourist Visas are very difficult to obtain currently for Russian citizens even for family members. The amount of documents and cost and processing time and rejection rate makes it unviable.