All U.S. visa, American-citizen and commercial services resumed in Brasília, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Recife and Porto Alegre on Monday, 5 October, after the United States closed its missions on Friday citing an online bomb threat. A State Department spokesperson told Folha de S.Paulo that security sweeps over the weekend cleared facilities to reopen, although the investigation into the hoax continues with Brazilian federal police. The 72-hour pause displaced thousands of Brazilians—many of them business travellers—who had flown to consular cities for interviews. Travel-management companies estimate that rebooking costs averaged R$ 2,500 per traveller in flights and hotels. The embassy said affected applicants will receive priority slots “within the next two weeks”, but it has not confirmed fee waivers or refund policies. Applicants whose travel dates are imminent are advised to monitor their e-mails for auto-re-scheduling notices and to keep DS-160 forms current. The incident also rippled into other diplomatic networks: Australia’s embassy temporarily halted front-office operations and upgraded its travel alert for Brazil before downgrading it on Monday afternoon. Security analysts note that election-season tension—Brazil voted in the first round on 4 October—has prompted several foreign missions to review threat protocols, which could translate into sporadic service interruptions through the 25 October run-off. For global-mobility managers moving Brazilian assignees to the U.S., the takeaway is to build extra lead time into visa road-maps this month and to advise travellers to avoid large political gatherings near consular districts. Companies with blanket business-visitor programs should verify that their third-party agents have the latest appointment-rescheduling instructions.
Source: Folha de S.Paulo
