Brazilian applicants for U.S. visas woke up to good news this weekend. Data released on 19–20 September 2026 by the U.S. State Department, and aggregated by analytics service WaitVisa, show that interview wait times have dropped sharply at Brazil’s three busiest posts. In São Paulo, the queue for B-1/B-2 visitor-business visas now stands at “0 days to 4 weeks”, a dramatic improvement from the 10–12-week average reported in August. Rio de Janeiro is even faster at “0 days to 15 days”, while Porto Alegre has stabilised at “0 days to 2.5 months”. Students and temporary-worker categories show similar gains, with most appointments available in under half a month. Consular sources attribute the relief to a post-summer lull in demand, expanded Saturday staffing and the continued use of interview-waiver renewals for many applicants. The shorter queues come just ahead of Brazil’s October-to-February high-season for outbound corporate travel, when energy, agribusiness and tech executives traditionally fly north for conferences, M&A roadshows and CES in Las Vegas. Why it matters: Reduced lead times allow companies to plan last-minute trips again, trimming costly schedule buffers and holding expenses. Global-mobility teams should, however, remind travellers that U.S. consulates still require both visa issuance and passport delivery, adding another 3–5 business days. Slots also fluctuate daily as new capacity is uploaded, so monitoring tools or specialised agents remain advisable for mission-critical travel. Action points for employers: 1) reassess internal visa-application timelines; 2) update traveller communications emphasising earlier medicals, DS-160 accuracy and reciprocity-fee payments; 3) lock in appointments before the November rush linked to Black Friday retail exchanges and end-of-year strategy summits.
Source: WaitVisa
