Maximum waiting time for issuing a visa to the USA should be reduced to 30 days

The maximum waiting time for issuing a tourist visa (B1/B2) for U.S can drop from almost two years of waiting to 30 days. This is an initiative intended to facilitate the entry of travelers into the country. Last Wednesday, the 24th, during the IPW 2023, one of the main events of the US tourism industry, Chris Thompson, CEO of Brand USA, a promotion body linked to the US government, said that the current deadlines for issuing visas are “unacceptable”. In addition to Brazil, several other countries, such as Mexico and Canada, suffer from the delay. The expectation of the Brand USA executive is that, by the end of this year, the maximum waiting time will be reduced to 30 days. Since the US resumed service to the Brazilian public in November 2021, the number of first visa requests is growing more and more. In São Paulo, for example, the waiting list reached a new record: 610 days to schedule an interview. The city is the 10th in the world with the longest waiting time. But this difficulty does not only happen in the capital of São Paulo. A survey carried out by the AG Immigration law firm revealed that the waiting list reached records in four of the five cities where Brazilian travelers can obtain the document – ​​São Paulo, 610 days; Brasilia, 439 days; Porto Alegre, 473 days; Rio de Janeiro, 449 days. This long waiting time has made Brazil rise to the seventh position of countries that suffer most from the delay in issuing a US visa, behind Colombia, Haiti, Mexico, Nepal, Canada and the United Arab Emirates. Currently, there is no exact number of how many people are trying to carry out the service, however, Felipe Alexandre, immigration lawyer and founding partner of AG Immigration, says that the number is greater than the daily capacity of six thousand requests.

To get an idea, in March there was a historical record, 101 thousand business and tourism visas were issued to Brazilians, which represents 95% of all issues in Brazil. That was the highest volume in history and a 41% jump from February. The average emissions per month varies from 49 thousand to 75 thousand. Alexandre, who lives in California, says that this delay in obtaining authorization to enter the US is a challenge for the Embassy and there is a clear damage to tourist exchange between the two countries. According to him, it directly impacts Florida, which has Brazil as one of the three countries that most send travelers there. “This scenario shows that Brazilians are still eager to travel to the US. The American government just needs to move more quickly so as not to lose these travelers”, says the lawyer. It is worth remembering that since May the price to get a visa to the USA has become more expensive. The report published in the Federal Register informed that the increase happened to cover the consular services offered, since the current values ​​would not be covering the high demand for the documents. The last readjustment had been in 2012 and, although prices have become steeper, they are still below what was suggested by the agency at the end of 2022. . Despite these increases, fees waived from the 2-year residency requirement for exchange visitors will remain at $120.

New US Visa Prices

Business or tourism (B1/B2 and BCCs): US$185 (R$932)
Students and exchange students: US$ 185 (R$ 932)
Temporary worker (categories H, L, O, P, Q and R): US$ 205 (BRL 1,033.2)
Trade/investor (category E): US$ 315 (BRL 1,587.6)