Some states in Brazil take more than a year to process a visa to the United States

Who is planning to go? America And applying for a visa for the first time, you may have to wait more than a year to make an appointment. In Bye PauloFor example, till 1st December, The streak reached 484 days🇧🇷 According to information provided by the US Embassy Young Pan, “Long waiting periods are the result of past demand, suppressed as a result of epidemics, and the result of new demand”. The capital of São Paulo isn’t the only one showing delays, four other places where Brazilians can book visas to the US are also recording long waits: Rio de Janeiro There are 428 days, in Brazil There are 427 days, in Recife It is 365 days and Porto Alegre, 289 days. However, the U.S. Embassy states that the longer period does not apply to all modes, but to B1/B2, referring to first-time tourist and business visa holders.

This is the case of 39-year-old Janana Liberato. She wants to fulfill her children’s dream of knowing Disney And is planning a trip in 2023. The accounting technician has already made an appointment for her and her two children, but only for March next year. “The booking process is very time consuming. To give you an idea, I placed a request on April 14, 2022 for the next available date, which was only in March 2023”, he says. “The boys dream of going to Disney, and if all goes according to plan, the idea is to go in July,” he adds. Despite the bureaucratic process, Janana was able to do everything on her own without the help of a dispatcher. Roseleen Garcia, 38, is facing the same situation as her friend. She wants to take the kids to Disney, but will have to wait until next year to get an interview. “My visa is scheduled for March 2023. I’ve been waiting for almost a year and hope it gets done”. She was able to do it, but says the website is confusing. “Step by step and steps are preferable”. Although there is a possibility of trying a closer date, Rosleen says she doesn’t want to risk it because of withdrawal cases. “I’m going to leave that date because I don’t know how to change it and I don’t want to run the risk of getting a later date”.

According to the embassy, ​​the waiting time for an appointment varies constantly, depending on certain variables such as, for example, the demand and service capacity of each consular post, the type of visa requested and the availability of appointment times created. continuously. They also caution that the wait times stated on the website may not be accurate and up-to-date, although a baseline. Ingrid Baldoni, 22, managed to schedule a visa for this year, but an appointment was made in January with a date for November, but she was rejected and now she has to rebook. A journalism student is looking for a date for herself, her father and her brother. However, the next date was found to be August 2023. “I don’t have a trip planned yet and I don’t have any special obligations, however, I want to present the documents because I want to carry out my exchange”, he explains.

Ingrid made the appointment in São Paulo, but if a date in other states can be planned closer, it’s not a problem to spend a little more. “I would definitely do it in another state because of the speed of the process”. This is one of the options followed by some tourists who want to get their visa earlier. However, despite the limited time, they find full queues. The embassy said it is working to streamline the service and “Since the resumption of services in November 2021, new appointment scheduling times for interviews have been made available in the online system. Try rescheduling your interviews to closer dates without any extra charge. They also explain that those who already have a scheduled trip can request an emergency appointment, however, only after making their initial appointment.