Brazil announces additional extension on Foreign National Ban

The Brazilian Government has recently announced that they are going to be extending their ban on foreign nationals entering into the country. Disbarring foreign nationals from entering via either air or sea, the ban was put in place to try to stall the spread of COVID-19 after the initial outbreak occurred in March.

The ban was originally set to be rescinded on the 26^th of August, but was extended an additional thirty days to September the 25^th. This means that those who seek entry into Brazil will need to wait longer for approval, unless they meet specific requirements. But by examining recent trends this appears unlikely to change.

The ban itself does not completely exclude an individual from travelling into Brazil, this includes foreign nationals. By current ban regulations, foreign nationals are still able to enter the country provided they procure a valid short-stay Visa and arrive by air. They are not allowed to arrive by air however in the states of: Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Rondônia, Roraima, and Tocantins.

In addition, the Foreign national must present valid health insurance and will be subject to health protocols before entry. Anyone that is found to be immediate family of a Brazilian Citizen (including spouse or partner) are also eligible to enter, excluding Venezuelan Nationals.

The bans extension is unfortunately not surprising given the Governments previous behaviour and approach to the situation. The first ban was initially instituted back on March the 27^th of this year when the outbreak first begun. The original intention was for it to last thirty days until April, but it was later extended onward in another thirty-day interval.

The ban has been extended numerous times since then, with each extension estimated to only last for thirty days. In light of this trend, it is unlikely that September will see an end to the Foreign National restrictions. In all likelihood, another extension of the ban is almost a certainty in the near future.

Recently, the Financial Times listed Brazil as recently falling into a recession. This is in sharp contrast to the nations previous economic strength, although Brazil is far from the only nation to fall into a recession as a result of the outbreak. In addition to economic uncertainty, and it’s vast COVID19 death-toll. Brazil is also faced with another onslaught of fires in the Amazon Rainforest after last year’s disaster.

All of these factors paint a bleak picture for migration efforts into Brazil for the near future. With the restrictions already in place it is difficult for anyone to enter outside of specific circumstances. The current events outside of the virus restrictions will no doubt further delay interest from individual Foreign Nationals wanting to enter outside of short-term personal reasons, until these circumstances begin to change.

By Joshua Robinson