Anyone who wants to travel to the United States has to plan well in advance to be able to comply with the necessary steps to obtain a visa.
With a wait that reaches more than a year, tourists and business travelers have found it difficult to travel to the North American country.
The issuance service was suspended during the pandemic, and was only resumed in November 2021, resulting in pent-up demand.
In a consultation held on November 22, the waiting periods to be able to carry out the interviews in one of the five locations where they are held in Brazil were as follows — these deadlines change according to demand, and can be consulted here:
- São Paulo (SP): 482 days of waiting
- Rio de Janeiro (RJ): 423 days of waiting
- Brasilia (DF): 431 days of waiting
- Recife (PE): 337 days of waiting
- Porto Alegre (RS): 324 days of waiting
HOW TO GET THE VISA?
According to the US embassy and consulates in Brazil, anyone wishing to apply for a tourist or business visa (B1/B2) must comply with the following steps:
- Complete the DS-160 visa application form available on the US Department of State website
- At the end of filling out the form, it is necessary to print the confirmation page with the barcode for each of the applicants for the visa
- Pay the fee to perform the procedure
- Schedule the service at the CASV (Visa Applicant Service Center) and the interview at the consular section here
- Attend the scheduled dates and wait for the answer
There is an initial schedule which is the moment of delivery of the required documents and collection of biometrics and photo. In a second moment, the applicant has a personal interview with a representative of the US government.
WHAT TO BRING TO THE CASV?
According to the official US visa scheduling service, you must come to the CASV with the following documents:
- Current passport valid for travel to the United States. Passport must be valid for six months beyond the intended date of entry into the United States
- Passport containing the latest US visa (if applicable)
- Form DS-160/DS-260 Confirmation Page
- Printed Appointment Confirmation and Instructions Page
- If the applicant is not present or the visa is for a child under seven years of age, a 5 x 5 cm or 5 x 7 cm color photo must be taken, taken within the last six months and with a white background. More details on the State Department’s General Photo Guidelines can be found here.
HOW IS THE INTERVIEW?
A representative of the US consulate or embassy will conduct a personal interview with the applicant.
It will ask several objective questions, and the applicant must honestly answer the questions asked.
WHAT ARE THE VALUES?
The fee to obtain a tourist or business visitor visa costs US$160 (R$823).
This amount is non-refundable and non-transferable. It is also only valid for one application, not being reused in case of visa refusal.
When paying the fee, you must schedule the interview within a period of one year because, after that period, it expires. This period of one year applies to the act of scheduling, it does not mean that the delivery of documents and the interview has to be done within this period.
IS HIRING DISPATCHERS SAFE?
The US embassy and consulates in Brazil do not have an accredited network of brokers, and are the only official source for visa information.
Also according to the bodies, “applicants are free to make their choices and decide whether they want to share their private data with third parties”.
Whoever hires this service must be careful, as they will share personal data, such as login and password, with third parties so that they can try to speed up the appointment.
On the website of the US Department of State it is stated that it is possible to obtain assistance in obtaining a visa, but the person concerned is ultimately responsible for submitting the documents.
HOW TO PLAN?
According to Luiz Moura, co-founder and marketing director at Voll, a corporate travel agency, it is important for anyone traveling to anticipate these future demands. Especially for the second half of 2023, because for the first half of next year there are no more dates available, says the executive.
“We recommend that people who are applying for a visa monitor the scheduling platform made available by the US government to find the best date. It is possible to anticipate a scheduling of one of the stages if a new date becomes available,” says Moura.
One recommendation is to try to advance this schedule in places far from where people are, such as traveling to Recife, even though you are in São Paulo, says Moura.
“The ideal moment to obtain a North American visa is when you don’t need it. It is an impediment if you don’t have it, but it is an advantage if you already have it,” says the Voll executive.
VALUABLE TIPS FOR YOUR VISA
- Fill in the form carefully and honestly, do not omit any information
- While filling in, do not forget to save the information
- Buy the travel package, including the ticket, only after having the visa in hand
- Request the type of visa that corresponds to your trip
- Arrive on time for the interview (neither before nor after)
- If the booking date falls later than desired, stay tuned to the website as we constantly open new vacancies. It is possible to reschedule at no additional cost at different consulates or embassies
With information from UOL/Alexandre Saconi