The government has informed members of Congress that it intends to issue a new decree extending the visa waiver for tourists from the United States, Canada, and Australia until April 2025. The measure, which removed the entry permit requirement for citizens of these four countries, was adopted during the government of Jair Bolsonaro and has been extended since then. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva initially issued a decree last year revoking the exemption, but after a reaction from lawmakers, he postponed the reinstatement of visa requirements. The current decree is set to end this exemption next Wednesday, on the 10th.
The deputy leader of the government in the Chamber, Congressman Alencar Santana (PT-SP), however, stated that there is an agreement with the House to extend the effects of the measure, thus preventing a legislative decree project from overturning the act signed by Lula — and, in practice, maintain what was previously valid under Bolsonaro’s administration.
“Last week, when a legislative decree that would overthrow the government’s decree was about to be voted on, we made an agreement to issue a new decree revoking the previous one and changing the deadline. If this is not done, the Chamber may vote on the matter and, due to the political configuration, change the legislative decree. We are waiting,” said Santana to O Globo. The visa waiver for tourists from these three countries and Japan was unilaterally dispensed in 2019, during the government of former President Jair Bolsonaro. However, when Lula took office, it was decided that the measure should only apply to countries that offer the same treatment to Brazilians, following the diplomatic principle of reciprocity.
In May last year, during a visit by Lula to Japan, a bilateral agreement was reached allowing visa-free entry for Brazilians into Japan and for Japanese into Brazil. This exemption took effect in September 2023. The other countries did not agree to do the same. At the end of 2023, in December, the Chamber approved an urgency for the project that overturns the presidential decree. Without the fulfillment of the agreement, the President of the House, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), will put the matter to a vote in the plenary, without needing to go through committees.
If Lula issues a new decree, it will be another extension of the visa suspension. Last year, an act was issued reinstating the requirement for January 10. However, the government postponed the date to April 10, 2024. The Palácio do Planalto, Itamaraty, and the Ministry of Justice have not yet commented when sought for a statement.
Original reference: https://oglobo.globo.com/brasil/noticia/2024/04/05/governo-deve-prorrogar-decreto-que-preve-isencao-de-vistos-para-turistas-dos-eua-japao-canada-e-australia.ghtml
