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Brazilians may have to wait more than 16 months to obtain a US visa

Brazilians continue to face queues to obtain a business and tourist visa in the United States of America for the first time.

The US consulate in São Paulo is the one with the longest wait for the interview of those who intend to obtain the B1/B2 visa for the first time.

The Office of Consular Services of the US Department of State updates the estimated time required for the interview to take place. According to the service, currently the queue for the interview in the state is 505 days.

In other capitals, the waiting time is shorter, but it takes at least eleven months. In Rio de Janeiro, Brazilians have to wait around 435 days for an interview; in the Federal Capital, the period drops to 434 days; in Recife, the estimate is that there is a delay of 361 days and in Porto Alegre, people need to wait around 337 days for the B1/B2 visa interview.

One of the main reasons for the delay is the repressed demand from people who wanted to visit the United States, but could not, because of measures taken during the most serious period of the Covid-19 pandemic, to avoid contamination by the disease.

In March 2020, the US imposed restrictions on the entry of non-essential people into the country. The reopening for vaccinated tourists began in early November of the following year.

Measures to reduce waiting time

In a note, the US Consulate in São Paulo reported that measures have been taken to reduce the waiting period.

“Since the post-pandemic resumption of regular visa processing, the Embassy and Consulates in Brazil have been actively working to hire and train additional staff and we have added extra hours and days (such as Super Saturdays) to increase visa processing capacity.

“We have extended to 48 months the period for applicants to renew their nonimmigrant visas without the need for an interview. As a result, in November 2022, US Embassies and Consulates nationwide issued 66% more tourist and business visas than in the same pre-pandemic period.”

Representatives of Joe Biden’s government in Brazil also inform that “candidates who have an emergency trip can request an advance interview, according to instructions on the website”, and that, after paying the fee, the applicant has up to 365 days to schedule an interview.

“Once scheduled, payment will remain valid until the date of the interview. There is no requirement that the interview take place during the 365-day period.”

While the business and tourism visa is the most requested by Brazilians, the time to obtain other types of visas is much shorter and can reach just one day of waiting. In cases of renewal, the waiting period is also shorter and in certain cases, the interview may be discarded.

Extension of measure that waives interview of certain candidates

Late last year, the US State Department released a statement extending a measure that authorizes consular officials to waive the personal interview for applicants for certain visas who are applying for the document for the first time.

The letter informs, however, that consular officials may still require a personal interview on a case-by-case basis, taking into account local conditions.

US authorities suggest that visa applicants check the websites of embassies and consulates for more detailed and up-to-date information about the services provided.

Brazilians who traveled to the USA

Data from the US National Travel and Tourism Office show that, from January to November 2022, Brazil was the seventh country that most sent travelers to the United States, with 1.074 million people entering American soil for tourist activities.

In all, more than 6.2 million Brazilians have an American tourist visa, with 682,000 issued in the first eleven months of last year.

Source: CNN Brasil

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