In 2016 alone, the number of visas denied to Brazilians wanting to visit the United States tripled… Understand the reasons!
During 2016, it was considered that, finally, the dream of not requiring a visa for Brazilians to enter the United States was close… Pure illusion! And it’s not even because Donald Trump won the elections in the lands of Rio Sam, as some might imagine…
According to the US Embassy in Brazil, the number of visas denied in the country tripled in 2016, reaching 16.7%, compared to just 5.4% in 2015. This means that, on average, every six visa applications , one was denied. For the document exemption for tourists to be assessed, the number of visa refusals must be below 3%… A rate that, now, seems very far from becoming real.
Officially, the Embassy does not usually comment on the reasons for this increase in refusals. But it is speculated that the chaotic political situation in Brazil, the growing number of unemployed people in the country and the economic recession must be the main motivators – the association is almost obvious: in this scenario, the tendency is for more people to try to emigrate illegally. When a country goes through a crisis like ours, stories start to appear about people who want to get a tourist or student visa to look for an informal job and stay in a foreign country for longer than allowed. And the United States has always been the dream destination of many Brazilians who want to “win in life”.
But don’t think that this is exclusive to Americans – in Europe, where most countries do not require a visa for Brazilians, the number of travelers barred also grew in 2016 and is the highest since 2012. In the first quarter of this year, 883 people were unable to do so. enter European territory and were sent back to Brazil. If this trend continues, by the end of 2016, more than three thousand Brazilians will have their trips to the continent frustrated and we will continue to occupy eighth place among the nationalities most blocked at European airports, mainly in Portugal and Spain.
And the news doesn’t end there: since the beginning of December, news has started to circulate that a fee will be charged for tourists to enter the Old Continent. The news was recently confirmed and the purpose of the new measure is to provide greater control over the entry of tourists.
The system will be called ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System) – the expectation is that it will be similar to the ESTA adopted by the American government, consisting of an online form to be filled out before traveling. The idea of the system is to better control borders and prevent illegal immigration and also the proliferation of terrorism.
The good news is that the value of the fee that will be created with the new system will not be 50 euros, as was studied and reported by the European press in September, but only five euros, something that is around R$18 But for now, it is expected that it will only come into force in 2019.
The new procedure is part of the European Travel Information and Authorization System, valid for any traveler exempt from visa requirements. To board, the passenger will need to have filled out an online form with personal information and paid the respective fee. This form will ask questions such as employment, level of education, among others. The authorization will be valid for five years and can be used for more than one trip.
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