According to a survey carried out by AG Immigration, an office specialized in immigration law based in Washington, Brazil currently occupies the seventh position among the countries with the longest waiting time to obtain a tourist visa for the United States (USA). This ranking was prepared based on data from the US Department of State and reveals that the queue of requests reached records in four of the five Brazilian cities where the document can be requested.
The longest waiting time is registered in São Paulo. Currently, those who book today will only get a date for 615 days from now, which corresponds to almost 20 months. Then come Porto Alegre (507 days), Brasília (493 days), Rio de Janeiro (478 days) and Recife (449 days). According to AG Immigration, only Rio de Janeiro had already faced a longer wait. The numbers of the other cities represent records.
Other countries
Only six countries have slower queues: Colombia, Haiti, Mexico, Nepal, Canada and the United Arab Emirates. In Brazil, tourist and business visas correspond to more than 90% of all applications. In the case of visas for study or work, the process is generally faster.
scheduling
The first steps to obtain a visa involve completing an online application and paying a fee of US$160. embassy in Brasília or at one of the four consulates located in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Recife and Porto Alegre.
The tourist visa is valid for ten years and can be used for multiple trips to the US within that period. However, the length of stay on each trip is determined by the immigration team that receives the traveler after disembarking, and is generally less than six months. With a tourist visa, it is not allowed to work or study in the country, only short courses are allowed.
Pandemic
Due to the covid-19 pandemic, the issuance of visas was restricted between May 2020 and November 2021. Assistance was prioritized for emergency situations, such as family funerals or medical treatment, in addition to student visas. Since applications are now generally reviewed, demand has steadily increased.
Embassy
In a statement, the US embassy acknowledged the problem and said it was working to increase the availability of appointments. New employees were hired, overtime is being worked and the period for renewing visas with exemption from interviews has been extended from 12 to 48 months.
The embassy hopes to obtain positive results by the July holidays, but highlights the high demand. Brazil was the second country with the highest visa processing in the world in 2022. Currently, an average of more than 6,000 interviews are carried out per day.
According to a survey carried out by AG Immigration, an office specialized in immigration law based in Washington, Brazil currently occupies the seventh position among the countries with the longest waiting time to obtain a tourist visa for the United States (USA). This ranking was prepared based on data from the US Department of State and reveals that the queue of requests reached records in four of the five Brazilian cities where the document can be requested.
The longest waiting time is registered in São Paulo. Currently, those who book today will only get a date for 615 days from now, which corresponds to almost 20 months. Then come Porto Alegre (507 days), Brasília (493 days), Rio de Janeiro (478 days) and Recife (449 days). According to AG Immigration, only Rio de Janeiro had already faced a longer wait. The numbers of the other cities represent records.
Other countries
Only six countries have slower queues: Colombia, Haiti, Mexico, Nepal, Canada and the United Arab Emirates. In Brazil, tourist and business visas correspond to more than 90% of all applications. In the case of visas for study or work, the process is generally faster.
scheduling
The first steps to obtain a visa involve completing an online application and paying a fee of US$160. embassy in Brasília or at one of the four consulates located in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Recife and Porto Alegre.
The tourist visa is valid for ten years and can be used for multiple trips to the US within that period. However, the length of stay on each trip is determined by the immigration team that receives the traveler after disembarking, and is generally less than six months. With a tourist visa, it is not allowed to work or study in the country, only short courses are allowed.
Pandemic
Due to the covid-19 pandemic, the issuance of visas was restricted between May 2020 and November 2021. Assistance was prioritized for emergency situations, such as family funerals or medical treatment, in addition to student visas. Since applications are now generally reviewed, demand has steadily increased.
Embassy
In a statement, the US embassy acknowledged the problem and said it was working to increase the availability of appointments. New employees were hired, overtime is being worked and the period for renewing visas with exemption from interviews has been extended from 12 to 48 months.
The embassy hopes to obtain positive results by the July holidays, but highlights the high demand. Brazil was the second country with the highest visa processing in the world in 2022. Currently, an average of more than 6,000 interviews are carried out per day.
