Brazil has started 2026 with one of the most far-reaching immigration reforms since its 2017 Migration Law. Inter-ministerial Ordinance 60/2025—published in the Diário Oficial and in force since 1 January 2026—abolishes the patchwork of country-specific humanitarian visa programmes that had been rolled out piecemeal for Afghans, Haitians, Syrians, Ukrainians and other at-risk groups over the past decade. Instead, the Ministries of Justice and Foreign Affairs will issue ad-hoc joint acts that (1) name the nationalities and (2) describe the crisis circumstances that justify protection.(visahq.com)
In theory, the new mechanism gives Brasília greater agility: the government can add or remove nationalities overnight without having to draft an entirely new ordinance. In practice, however, mobility stakeholders face an immediate gap. Until the first eligibility list is released, Brazilian consulates worldwide have paused the issuance of humanitarian visas and have begun cancelling appointments booked for January. NGOs that used to channel Afghan evacuees report that they are being told to “wait for further guidance or consider other visa classes.”(visahq.com)
![Brazil creates single humanitarian-visa framework, pauses new issuances]()
For travellers and employers trying to navigate this uncertainty, VisaHQ can bridge the gap. Its Brazil portal (https://www.visahq.com/brazil/) tracks consular updates in real time, offers customized document checklists, and facilitates alternative visa applications—business, work or family—so that essential moves don’t stall while the new humanitarian criteria are being defined.
Employers that relied on humanitarian visas to relocate journalists and contractors out of conflict zones must now secure a new “hosting-commitment” letter from a Brazilian NGO formally accredited by the federal government—an extra document that did not exist under the old rules. Legal advisers recommend updating check-lists immediately because immigration auditors are unlikely to grandfather incomplete files. While salary thresholds and public-health entitlements remain unchanged, any family-reunification or extension requests filed after 1 January will follow the new framework.(visahq.com)
Looking ahead, the reform will be judged on execution speed. The first test will be how quickly the ministries publish an eligibility list—Ukraine, Gaza and Venezuela are seen as the most likely candidates—and whether NGOs can scale up housing and integration capacity fast enough. Companies with humanitarian-visa holders already in Brazil should remind them that residence cards remain valid, but future dependants will enter under the new regime. Mobility managers should monitor consular messaging daily and prepare contingency travel plans for at-risk staff.(visahq.com)
In theory, the new mechanism gives Brasília greater agility: the government can add or remove nationalities overnight without having to draft an entirely new ordinance. In practice, however, mobility stakeholders face an immediate gap. Until the first eligibility list is released, Brazilian consulates worldwide have paused the issuance of humanitarian visas and have begun cancelling appointments booked for January. NGOs that used to channel Afghan evacuees report that they are being told to “wait for further guidance or consider other visa classes.”(visahq.com)
For travellers and employers trying to navigate this uncertainty, VisaHQ can bridge the gap. Its Brazil portal (https://www.visahq.com/brazil/) tracks consular updates in real time, offers customized document checklists, and facilitates alternative visa applications—business, work or family—so that essential moves don’t stall while the new humanitarian criteria are being defined.
Employers that relied on humanitarian visas to relocate journalists and contractors out of conflict zones must now secure a new “hosting-commitment” letter from a Brazilian NGO formally accredited by the federal government—an extra document that did not exist under the old rules. Legal advisers recommend updating check-lists immediately because immigration auditors are unlikely to grandfather incomplete files. While salary thresholds and public-health entitlements remain unchanged, any family-reunification or extension requests filed after 1 January will follow the new framework.(visahq.com)
Looking ahead, the reform will be judged on execution speed. The first test will be how quickly the ministries publish an eligibility list—Ukraine, Gaza and Venezuela are seen as the most likely candidates—and whether NGOs can scale up housing and integration capacity fast enough. Companies with humanitarian-visa holders already in Brazil should remind them that residence cards remain valid, but future dependants will enter under the new regime. Mobility managers should monitor consular messaging daily and prepare contingency travel plans for at-risk staff.(visahq.com)
