Brazilians applying for a United States non-immigrant visa woke up on 30 September to find a new warning inside the official scheduling portal: each applicant (or group of applicants) may cancel or reschedule an interview only three times. After the third change, the record is permanently locked and the consular fee—currently US $185—cannot be reused. The change, which first appeared on 29 September, was captured by visa-services firm Viaggi Vistos and later confirmed by travel-state.gov screenshots. It applies to every Brazilian post—São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, Recife and Porto Alegre—and counts any action that alters the date or time of the Consular Section or the CASV biometric appointment. Applicants must tick an “I understand” checkbox before proceeding, and the system displays how many changes remain. Practically, the rule forces travellers and corporate mobility managers to treat each reschedule as strategic currency. São Paulo’s first available tourist-visa slot on 29 September was 30 March 2027—182 days away—so many applicants routinely “hunt” for earlier dates. Now, every hunt costs a precious attempt. Visa facilitators are advising companies to coordinate group travel carefully and avoid cancelling merely to view alternate calendars. From a business-mobility standpoint, the cap can cascade into real costs. If a key employee misses an interview after using three changes, the company must pay a fresh MRV fee and restart the DS-160 process—delaying assignments by weeks. Large Brazilian exporters with frequent U.S. travel needs (agribusiness, oil-field services, tech integrators) will need tighter internal approval workflows. The State Department has not issued a formal press release, but similar limits already exist in other high-volume markets such as India and Mexico. The move appears aimed at discouraging speculative bookings that clog the system. Until appointment backlogs ease, Brazilian travellers should assume the three-strike rule is permanent and budget time—and money—accordingly.
Source: Fato Novo
