5 ms·

I visited Brazil with an American passport a few years ago and ended up spending a bunch of time gathering documents and visiting the embassy back and forth. It

by nbardy 8y ago

I visited Brazil with an American passport a few years ago and ended up spending a bunch of time gathering documents and visiting the embassy back and forth. It was pretty discouraging and draining and I thought about not going. Potentially turned away tourists, but now I also I understand what it's like to go through the process and I'm a big proponent of more free borders. It's a double edge sword, but it certainly left a similar impact on the other Americans I met in Brazil as well.

dep_b 8y ago
Your problem is that you don't have an American passport, you have a United States passport. It would be pretty nice if American passports would exist.
- seppin 8y ago
  You do know that "American" is shorthand for citizen of the USA in everywhere else in the world, right?
  - dep_b 8y ago
    Like the word "Yankee". Both words seem to rub some people the wrong way.
    - cesarb 8y ago
      Personally, I avoid using the words "American" or "America", as they can be ambiguous: are you talking about the country, or the continent?
thraway-burnout 8y ago
> I visited Brazil with an American passport a few years ago and ended up spending a bunch of time gathering documents and visiting the embassy back and forth. It was pretty discouraging and draining and I thought about not going. That is the same as when a Brazilian would like to visit the US. This general waiving of requirements simply guarantees that Brazil's the only one getting the short end of the stick. A negotiated reciprocal agreement would be much better.
- m0zg 8y ago
  >> reciprocal agreement would be much better It would also be completely unrealistic as millions of Brazilians would just go to the US and stay there. Reciprocity doesn't work between countries with significantly different wealth and standard of living. I've been on the receiving end of US visa process. They require you to demonstrate that you have substantial ties to your country that would make it more likely that you'll eventually leave the US. Income, real estate or other assets, children/wife staying, that kind of thing. That's not a guarantee you'll return, of course, it just makes it more likely.
  - thraway-burnout 8y ago
    > It would also be completely unrealistic as millions of Brazilians would just go to the US and stay there. Millions? I don't think so. Maybe a few thousands? I think you overestimate the amount of people in Brazil who fancy a life in the US. Furthermore, I also think you overestimate the amount of people who, fancying a life in the US, are actually able to secure financial and social resources to move there. Brazilians have visa-free access to Europe[0] and you don't see "millions of Brazilians" just going there and staying. Why would it be different? [0] Technically there's a visa which is granted on arrival
    - diebeforei485 8y ago
      Because it's far easier to live in the US without papers. It's much more difficult to do that in Europe.
      - deleted 8y ago
        [deleted]
      - retiredcoder 8y ago
        I would like to see some stats on Brazilian immigration in Europe vs USA, both legal and ilegal. Sometimes, Brazilians in US are categorized as Latinos but in reality, outside Boston and maybe Florida, there isn’t that expressive Brazilian communities in the USA.
gcb0 8y ago
You still only tasted the bureaucracy annoyance. For visiting the USA you have that plus the problems of being turned away by sheer caprice of the border agent. In the end you still are being treated much better all things considered.

by nbardy 8y ago

dep_b 8y ago

Your problem is that you don't have an American passport, you have a United States passport. It would be pretty nice if American passports would exist.

seppin 8y ago
You do know that "American" is shorthand for citizen of the USA in everywhere else in the world, right?
- dep_b 8y ago
  Like the word "Yankee". Both words seem to rub some people the wrong way.
  - cesarb 8y ago
    Personally, I avoid using the words "American" or "America", as they can be ambiguous: are you talking about the country, or the continent?

thraway-burnout 8y ago

> I visited Brazil with an American passport a few years ago and ended up spending a bunch of time gathering documents and visiting the embassy back and forth. It was pretty discouraging and draining and I thought about not going. That is the same as when a Brazilian would like to visit the US. This general waiving of requirements simply guarantees that Brazil's the only one getting the short end of the stick. A negotiated reciprocal agreement would be much better.

m0zg 8y ago
>> reciprocal agreement would be much better It would also be completely unrealistic as millions of Brazilians would just go to the US and stay there. Reciprocity doesn't work between countries with significantly different wealth and standard of living. I've been on the receiving end of US visa process. They require you to demonstrate that you have substantial ties to your country that would make it more likely that you'll eventually leave the US. Income, real estate or other assets, children/wife staying, that kind of thing. That's not a guarantee you'll return, of course, it just makes it more likely.
- thraway-burnout 8y ago
  > It would also be completely unrealistic as millions of Brazilians would just go to the US and stay there. Millions? I don't think so. Maybe a few thousands? I think you overestimate the amount of people in Brazil who fancy a life in the US. Furthermore, I also think you overestimate the amount of people who, fancying a life in the US, are actually able to secure financial and social resources to move there. Brazilians have visa-free access to Europe[0] and you don't see "millions of Brazilians" just going there and staying. Why would it be different? [0] Technically there's a visa which is granted on arrival
  - diebeforei485 8y ago
    Because it's far easier to live in the US without papers. It's much more difficult to do that in Europe.
    - deleted 8y ago
      [deleted]
    - retiredcoder 8y ago
      I would like to see some stats on Brazilian immigration in Europe vs USA, both legal and ilegal. Sometimes, Brazilians in US are categorized as Latinos but in reality, outside Boston and maybe Florida, there isn’t that expressive Brazilian communities in the USA.

gcb0 8y ago

You still only tasted the bureaucracy annoyance. For visiting the USA you have that plus the problems of being turned away by sheer caprice of the border agent. In the end you still are being treated much better all things considered.