Ministry of Justice Website Error Causing Work Visa Conversion Status Confusion
July 22, 2015
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Foreign nationals converting their Work Contract Visa to a permanent visa may not be able to obtain an accurate status on the Ministry of Justice’s website due a technical error. The website most frequently states that approved cases are awaiting analysis.
Fragomen can request an email confirmation from the Ministry of Justice on a foreign national’s behalf or can check the Official Gazette1 (Diário Oficial), where Ministry of Justice approvals are published every weekday. However, these sources may not produce accurate results either. The only accurate indication of visa approval at this time is a telegram confirming approval from the Ministry of Justice.
Background
The Work Contract Visa is the most common work visa category in Brazil. After the initial two-year period under this visa, the foreign national must apply for a permanent visa. This process usually takes 10-18 months and requires Ministry of Justice approval, which is published in the Official Gazette.
Visa nationals with Work Contract Visa applications that will expire within three months must file a permanent visa application and obtain the appropriate re-entry visa if they travel abroad after their Work Contract Visa expires and while the permanent visa is pending.
What This Means for Foreign Nationals
The technical error on the Ministry of Justice’s website may cause administrative hurdles, as the visa holder is required to register the permanent visa at the Federal Police within 90 days of publication of the approval in the Official Gazette. Fragomen is currently requesting that the approval be published again in the Official Gazette.
Foreign nationals who receive telegrams from the Ministry of Justice indicating that their permanent visa was granted should notify their immigration professional so that cases can be accurately tracked.
This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].
1 This link only works outside of the Citrix environment.
