With the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions in much of the United States amid a relief in the number of new cases of the disease, the demand for visas to visit the country has skyrocketed the waiting time to schedule an interview.
Of the five positions available in Brazil, the American consulate in São Paulo is the longest time to schedule an interview to apply for a tourist or business visa: 294 calendar days, or almost ten months.
In other capitals, the wait is also long: it takes 248 days to schedule an interview in BrasÃlia, 232 days in Recife, 227 days in Porto Alegre and 183 days in Rio de Janeiro, according to US government data.
Among the factors that explain the delay are the concentrated demand for visas, since between March 2020 and November 2021 Americans did not open appointments to the general public, and the impacts of the pandemic including on the number of employees.
The delay comes amid the increase in the granting of visas itself. After more than a year and a half with zero visas issued for business and tourism, in December, the latest data released by the US Department of State, the country authorized more than 45,000 people to enter US territory as non-immigrants, returning to levels similar to the pre-pandemic period.
According to the American diplomatic representation in Brazil, the waiting time for an appointment varies constantly, subject to a series of variables such as demand, capacity of service stations, type of visa and new vacancies that are regularly opened. The interview deadline for student and exchange visas, for example, can take only one day in São Paulo.
Therefore, the US government’s guidance is that even people who were only able to schedule their interviews for months from now continue to access the embassy’s system to try to reschedule the interviews for closer dates, without extra charge. Available dates can be checked at https://br.usembassy.gov/pt/visas-pt/vistos-de-nao-imigrantes/. The estimated waiting time for a consulate can be checked at https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/wait-times.html.
“In any case, we suggest that people plan their trips in advance,” says the US Consulate General in São Paulo in a statement.
Brazilians who already have a US visa can, since the 7th, have their entry into the United States accelerated, without going through immigration agents, if they are part of the Global Entry program, which travelers can apply for since the beginning of this month.
Under the program, travelers who have been pre-approved and considered reliable by the US authorities will be granted expedited clearance at passport control upon arrival in the US. At previously selected airports, applicants do not go through immigration officials or queue, being moved directly to an automatic kiosk linked to the initiative.
To be part of the frequent travel program, an application must be made at https://ttp.dhs.gov/, and the applicant will need to undergo a background check and face-to-face interview. The fee is US$ 100 (R$ 521) and membership is valid for five years.
As for those who really want to emigrate to the United States, the US government announced that there are plenty of work visas for professionals with extraordinary skills (seen in the EB 1 category) or above average (EB 2) in several areas, such as science, art, education, business and sports.
Those who pass these processes receive a green card, as permission to live and work in the US for ten years is called. The document can be renewed and opens the way to claim American citizenship.
The greater availability of visas is a consequence of the pandemic: each year, the US determines a quota of approvals. If the total is not used, the remainder is for the following year. As the pandemic has made it difficult to conduct interviews and reviews, there have been fewer approvals in the past two years.
As a result, about 280,000 green cards are expected to be offered for work reasons, double the average in previous years, according to a report released by the State Department.
