The U.S. Department of State has paused the issuance of immigrant visas for nationals of 56 countries—including Brazil—while it reviews whether applicants pose a “public-charge” risk. The freeze, which took effect worldwide on 21 January 2026, was highlighted on 3 February by trade publication Travel and Tour World.
Interviews at the U.S. Embassy in Brasília and consulates in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro continue, but no visas will be printed until the review is complete—creating a bottleneck for Brazilian families awaiting Green Cards and for employers transferring staff under employment-based immigrant categories. Non-immigrant visas (tourism, study, L-1, H-1B, etc.) are unaffected.
Multinational companies are already shifting strategies: many are relying on L-1 intracompany transfers, H-1B specialty-occupation petitions and the newly introduced FIFA PASS scheduling system to move talent in time for World Cup-related projects. Immigration counsel warn, however, that quota limits and lengthy petition adjudications could push urgent assignments into Canada or Mexico instead.
![U.S. freezes immigrant-visa issuance for Brazilians amid 56-country review]()
Amid this uncertainty, VisaHQ is positioned to help both corporate mobility teams and individual travelers by mapping out interim visa pathways, preparing applications accurately, and providing status alerts; their Brazil-specific portal (https://www.visahq.com/brazil/) aggregates the latest requirements and turnaround times so applicants lose no time once processing resumes.
For mobility teams the practical impact is twofold. First, employees whose immigrant-visa cases were documentarily complete must now weigh interim options such as extended B-1/B-2 stays or remote work. Second, assignees inside the U.S. should avoid international travel, since returning on a pending immigrant-visa packet is impossible under the freeze.
The State Department has given no timeline for completing its policy review, and advocacy groups have already filed suit in federal court, arguing that the blanket measure violates equal-protection guarantees. Companies should monitor developments and prepare contingency plans for talent pipelines involving Brazil.
Interviews at the U.S. Embassy in Brasília and consulates in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro continue, but no visas will be printed until the review is complete—creating a bottleneck for Brazilian families awaiting Green Cards and for employers transferring staff under employment-based immigrant categories. Non-immigrant visas (tourism, study, L-1, H-1B, etc.) are unaffected.
Multinational companies are already shifting strategies: many are relying on L-1 intracompany transfers, H-1B specialty-occupation petitions and the newly introduced FIFA PASS scheduling system to move talent in time for World Cup-related projects. Immigration counsel warn, however, that quota limits and lengthy petition adjudications could push urgent assignments into Canada or Mexico instead.
Amid this uncertainty, VisaHQ is positioned to help both corporate mobility teams and individual travelers by mapping out interim visa pathways, preparing applications accurately, and providing status alerts; their Brazil-specific portal (https://www.visahq.com/brazil/) aggregates the latest requirements and turnaround times so applicants lose no time once processing resumes.
For mobility teams the practical impact is twofold. First, employees whose immigrant-visa cases were documentarily complete must now weigh interim options such as extended B-1/B-2 stays or remote work. Second, assignees inside the U.S. should avoid international travel, since returning on a pending immigrant-visa packet is impossible under the freeze.
The State Department has given no timeline for completing its policy review, and advocacy groups have already filed suit in federal court, arguing that the blanket measure violates equal-protection guarantees. Companies should monitor developments and prepare contingency plans for talent pipelines involving Brazil.
