Speaking to journalists in Brasília on the evening of 22 July, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stressed that Brazil “will not leave the negotiating table” with the United States over the new tariff regime. “They are welcome to prove they had any justification. We remain seated, proposing solutions,” Lula said, positioning dialogue as the first line of defence even while reciprocal measures are being drafted. The president’s stance—echoing earlier remarks by Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin—signals that Brasília hopes to avoid a full-scale trade war that could spill into mobility channels such as visas and air-services agreements. At the same briefing Lula confirmed that the government is mapping the real impact of the tariffs sector by sector before deciding which counter-levers—tariffs, quotas or consular fees—would be proportionate. For multinational employers the message is double-edged. On one hand, continued dialogue reduces immediate uncertainty around travel and relocation permits for U.S. talent in Brazil. On the other, the president reiterated that “all instruments in the Law of Reciprocity remain available,” keeping the prospect of higher visa costs alive. Trade associations welcomed Lula’s conciliatory tone, but urged rapid clarification to give supply-chain planners, exporters and mobility departments time to adapt before peak fourth-quarter rotations. Human-resources advisers note that visa lead-times lengthened significantly the last time Brazil altered reciprocity fees in 2018; early workforce-planning is therefore essential. The administration is expected to publish preliminary impact figures and an outline counter-measure package within ten working days.
Source: Folha de S.Paulo
