Brazil News
| SAO PAULO – The wait for a visa to visit the United States is getting shorter at the American consulate in Sao Paulo. A month after President Barack Obama announced that Brazilian tourists would find it easier to get a visa, the wait time at the consulate has shrunk considerably.
U.S. Tourist Visa (Image: hostelbookers.com)
According to a report in Folha de Sao Paulo, on the day that Obama made the announcement in January, it took 76 days to schedule an appointment at the consulate in Sao Paulo. Scheduling an appointment today takes only 25 days. Last Tuesday, the wait was only 16 days.
The measure was designed to boost the U.S. economy, especially ahead of the presidential elections in swing-state Florida, by making it easier for Brazilian tourists to visit. Brazilian tourists spend the most per day of tourists from anywhere else in the world.
The consulate currently has 24 full-time interviewers. The goal is to double that number by June. The consulate currently interviews 3,000 potential visitors per day and they hope to increase that to 4,500 by June. The denial rate is about 5%.
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Source(s) for this article: Folha de Sao Paulo
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