O Brazil was the third country that received the most visas in May, with Mexico (279k) and India (133k) topping the list. China (52,000) and Colombia (50,000) complete the top five places in the ranking. All recorded an increase compared to April.

According to immigration lawyer Felipe Alexandre, founding partner of AG Immigration, the increase in the issuance of visas has been observed in several countries. “The B1/B2 was the driving force behind these results. People are still eager for tourist trips, wanting to evacuate the period of restrictions encountered during the pandemic. This is why, in Brazil for example, the embassy and consulates have hired more employees and expanded the public service, including on Saturdays,” explains Alexandre.

During the first five months of the year, the The United States has already granted 451,000 visas to Brazilians, or 57% of the total amount authorized in 2022 (815 thousand). In March, the embassy had already announced that, for 2023, it intended to exceed the mark of one million visas issued, which “probably should happen”, according to the calculations of the AG Immigration lawyer.

Data from the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office shows that, from January to March of this year, Brazil was the fifth country with the most citizens traveling to the United States, with 340,000 people spending at least one night on American soil. Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom and South Korea are at the top of the list. In the same period of 2022, that number was 221,000 travelers (up 53% since then).

However, tourist visas, which historically account for more than 90% of all issuances in the country, are currently the main bottleneck for the US Embassy in Brazil. In the five cities where the document is issued, the average wait time to obtain it is 324 days, according to the latest estimates from the State Department itself. Although still quite high, the average is down significantly from the 508 days recorded in June.

São Paulo is the city with the longest queue, 414 days, followed by Porto Alegre (471), Brasilia (321), Recife (301) and Rio de Janeiro (115). The capital city of Rio de Janeiro shows the fastest reduction in planning time.

“These timings are for those who are going to obtain a tourist and business visa for the first time. Renewal and issuance cases of other visa categories have shorter deadlines”

Philip Alexander

No more visas granted to Brazilians in May/23

• B1/B2 (business and tourism): 98,467
• F1 (study): 1,279
• J1 (exchange): 887
• L2 (dependent on L1): 436
• C1/D (aircraft and ship crew): 430
• L1 (multinational executives): 344
• B1 (company): 342
• EB2 (exceptional skills): 326
• A2 (diplomats): 281
• F2 (F1 dependent): 267