January 19, 2012 - A provision in Normative Resolution No. 96 now allows foreign nationals to extend their temporary visas after remaining in-country for two years.  With this change, holders of a temporary visa under a labor agreement (based on Normative Resolution No. 80) may request an additional two-year extension instead of having their temporary visa transformed into a permanent visa.  Once a foreign national has remained in Brazil for a total of four years, they, along with the Brazilian company, may then request a permanent visa.  The request for extension must occur at least 90 days before the temporary visa is due to expire.

At this time, no further information has been published regarding how the Brazilian immigration authorities will handle visas that are already undergoing the process to become permanent visas.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group and our network provider located in Brazil.  For additional information, please contact GlobalVisaGroup@balglobal.com.