Help needed from Rio residents or those knowledgable about Brasil visas...I am trying to teach english here and I keep running into the obstacle that I have to have a work visa before offer of employment. But I checked with a local lawyer and he said I need an offer of employment to apply for a work visa. Catch 22? Lawyer wrong? My portugese is not good enough to ask the federal police. Anybody know the process to obtain a work visa? Thanks

I know a guy who works with immigration. We can contact him. Other then that, look for a real top immigration lawyer, if you can afford one. I once knew one, you might ask the Rio consulate.

The same situation happens to every teenager in the US who looks for first work. They want work experience.

You should probably start teaching English moonlighting, private classes. Probably pays much better anyway.

Or find a school who gives you an offer of employment, or out of friendliness, or by bribe. Maybe you do some work for them for free or for cheap.

Just some hunches, maybe someone else comes up with better ideas

Traveler:

Your chances of getting a work visa for teaching English are exactly zero. You need to say you will work "sem carteira assinada", try the smaller private scholls (if any still exist) or Cultura Inglesa. BS is right that the REAL money in teaching English is private classes, but you can't get lesson materials (you'll need that unless you have years of experience in EFL) or contacts for private lessons without teaching at a school. Either way, surviving in Rio by teaching English is tuff... the market is flooded.

Good Luck!

BS

both BS's give you good advice. Taking work from a Brasilian is next to impossible. Private is best but finding someone with the resources to pay you is an all together different challenge.


maybe group lessons with garotas de programma might be an alternative and if they can't afford to pay, maybe they will barter with services....?

Oh the mind can be a terrible thing....he he he

Sandman

Sandman, I have been offered that for services. Doesn't pay the rent.

Traveler: You have to learn to live like a Carioca: Fuck the rent, sleep on the beach, fuck the beach hookers (in exchange for English lessons) behind the cabanas, rent out beach-chairs (which you stole from the next guy) in order to cover your most basic neccesities - that would be Brahma, Skol, and Malte 90!



BS

Yeah, but think how much you would be saving by not paying for programmas. That pays the rent..he he he.

What is the time table for applying and getting a tourist Visa to brazil. I am planning a first time trip to Rio the last week of October and someone told me that the Visa does not go into effect til 90 days after you get it. Is this right?

No - The first time you must travel WITHIN the 90 days of issuance. You will also have to supply a copy of your airline ticket when applying for your Visa. - Hemp

Shavani_20:

I know you are just wanting information, but part of CH is reading what others have written. In the future questions are welcome, but don't ask a dumb question without reading the material first.

MM

ps: We answer this question too often, and you should read before you ask.

Although one might be able to find the answer to Shavani 20's question somewhere on the site, it is not like it can be easily found. I don't consider the question dumb; moreover, when majormajor posts "we answer this question too often" I am wondering who the "we" is he is referring to. I don't exactly see alot of trip reports or other useful posts from him on this board.

Thanks for the info.

At the risk of sounding like I am gloating, I am pleased as hell about the fact that I have just been granted a 5-year business visa. I had been warned that the consulate has been cutting back seriously on issuing the 5 year and holding the line at 2 year (supposed to drive more revenue because they cost the same amount). But the little sweetie who receives the applications counted the number of entry stamps over the past two years and decided that making me come back to renew in two years was a waste of my time. She told me that she has been told not to do it any more but she issued me the five year version.

Am I fooling myself into thinking I am special? Anyone else out there recently get a longer one? Maybe she was just yanking my chain. After all - she is a Brasilaira.

I just got a 5 year one. I was told by the company that handled it for me that I could not request the time limit although on their website they had an option to select the length of time I wanted. So go figure. I am happy since the next time I go I do not have to mess with this part again nor pay for it again.

My visa expired and I was wondering if it is possible to have my visa renewed before purchasing an airline ticket.

What has your visa got to do with an airline ticket?

You only need to show a visa when you checkin at the airport.

MM

Is there any way around having to provide a copy of an airline ticket for Visa renewal?

All I showed was an itinerary (not an actual ticket) and holding a flight produces a the same itinerary document. Remember you must fly there within 90 days of getting your visa so I don't undersatnd why you would want to renew a visa without purchasing a ticket.

I'm planning on returning to Rio mid-March. I would love to have a valid visa before purchasing a ticket, as some tickets are non-refundable. Thanks for all you help.

Well, it's not like you're not going to get a visa. Worse-case scenario is they stick you with a 90-day or even a 30-day (out of Chicago). In any case, you'll be good to go for a March trip.

Still, just make a reservation and print it out and send it in. That should be all you need.

Thank you

BTW, was talking Friday with a non-monger who goes to Brazil frequently to visit friends. He's applied every time to the Chicago consulate (technically his consulate) and has never received anything but 90 day visas. Chicago has a bad reputation for giving 90 visas.

I've applied in person 4 times in New York, and have always received a 5 year visa, even though it's not my home consulate.

There's still legislation pending in Brazil to drop the requirement for a visa, but I'm not holding my breath on that one, given that visas are still seen as a source of revenue (incorrectly, since the requirement is enough of a barrier to stop many from coming to Brazil and spend significantly more than $130).

I'm going to have to get a new visa on a passport with only 2.5 years left on it. Will they give me a 5 year visa or something shorter? I will be going in person to the consulate in DC. Any educated guesses as to what I should expect to receieve?

You should still get a 5-year visa. It will be good after your passport expires, so no issue there.

Thanks Cat. From your fingers to the consulates stamp That's what I'm hoping for.

Just a follow up here. I just picked up my new 5 year visa at the DC consulate just as Cat said.

Don't you mean the embassy?

MM

Nope, the Brazilian consular services office around the corner on Whitehaven, it's a very small building. The embassy is on Massachussetes.

Well, technically it's the consular services desk of the Embassy. Embassies are always and only in national capitals, in other cities, they're Consulates. So, the Brasilian Embassy is in DC, with Consulates in Miami, LA, NYC, etc.

Brazil does the same in the UK, they have both an embassy and a consulate in London. The two have separate roles where the embassy represents Brazil in diplomatic, cultural and commercial affairs and the consulate manages administrative work such as visas for foreigners and electoral cards for their citizens.

Nah, it's one and the same here. The consular services desk is on the Embassy grounds, in a little building off to the side. Still one facility though, they're not in another part of town or anything.

Embassies in DC tend to be pretty nice, it's the top posting for pretty much every countries' diplomatic community. Some of them are in interesting spots though. Canada is in the prime spot at the corner of Pennsylvania and Constitution, down by the Capitol and on the Inaugural parade route and everything. Not close to the others but primo location. Mexico is on Pennsylvania up by IMF/World Bank, on the west side of the White House. Yours is right next to the Naval Observatory where the Veep lives, decent parking there too. Saudi Arabia is right across from The Watergate and Kennedy Center, stuck in there like a sore thumb but very visible. Others are usually all clustered up along Mass Ave and up off of Connecticut, some are still in office buildings downtown. The Russians have the old Soviet shithole compound on 16th St, but all in all, a lot or really nice pads on very nice grounds.

This may be a case of semantics, I don't know, but Brasil does claim to have a "Brazilian Consulate General in Washington, DC" (see: http://www.brasilemb.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=36&Itemid=86) but the website for the DC Consulate General is the Embassy's website, and the buildings are on the same grounds.

Well, WTF, I just called my friend who works in the Brazilian Consulate in NYC. I asked him how many Consulate General offices they have in the US, and he said 9. I asked if that meant they have both an Embassy and a Consulate in DC and he said yes. I asked why, since most countries just have an embassy in DC that offers consular services, and he said--quote--"Why do we do most of the shit we do? Someone with political connections wanted to head the Consulate General in DC rather than just work in the embassy, so we bought another building for him and called it the Consulate General." I asked about the fact that it's the only consulate that doesn't have its own website and he laughed and said "he wanted a building and a title, not a website."

He then said that Brazil keeps opening new consulates in the US because there's always someone else with connections who wants to be a big shot in the US. He jokingly told me he's pushing for a new consulate in Hawaii.

Ok, so Brasil, as usual, is so FUBAR it's the exception that proves the rule.