US visa fees will cost $160 starting this Friday.
The American authorization fee increased by R$20, and the scheduling fee, which cost R$38, no longer exists.
Agency Brazil - Starting this Friday (13), those interested in traveling to the United States will have to shell out more money to pay for the visa. The US authorization for tourism, business, student, exchange, transit, crew and journalist travel has increased from US$ 140 to US$ 160. The decision was announced in a statement by the US Embassy in Brasília.
The scheduling fee, which cost R$ 38, will no longer exist as of this Friday. In a statement, the embassy says that the adjustment aims to cover existing expenses related to "visa processing through the collection of application fees." The statement adds that the adjustment allows for the expansion of "facilities abroad, as well as the hiring of qualified personnel to meet the demand for visas."
From January to March of this year, 296.637 Brazilians obtained visas to travel to the United States. This number is 56% higher than that recorded in the same period of 2011, according to embassy data. Last year, 945 visas were granted to Brazilians. The average number of applicants is 5.489 per day.
Last Monday (9), Presidents Dilma Rousseff and Barack Obama pledged to work together to eliminate the visa requirement for the United States. However, there is no set deadline for Brazil to join the approximately 30 countries that are part of the Global Waiver (which allows visa waivers), which has strict criteria established by Congress.
During Dilma's visit to the United States, the creation of two more American consulates in Brazil was announced – in Porto Alegre (RS) and in Belo Horizonte (MG).
Currently, there are US consulates in Brasília, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Recife. In March of this year, measures were announced to expedite the scheduling process, which should not exceed 30 days, and to allow for the waiver of interviews when renewing the document, among other things.