Hi james
This paste is from the brazil consulate website as you will know
The final paragraph reads to me like a British citizen can go to brazil to do a study course for upto 90 days without applying for a student visa, but surely this is just a tourist visa ? Or am iam wrong
Cheers
Gary
Students (VITEM IV)
Please read full instructions. If you have any queries, please write to [email protected]
a) General rules
b) Length of stay in Brazil
c) Required documents
d) Uploading your documents
e) Visa fees
f) Lodging your application
g) Processing times
h) Vaccination
i) Special notes
a) General rules
Foreign citizens travelling to Brazil to attend study courses – including theological and technical studies – must have a student visa. Please note that to qualify for a student visa the applicant has to attend a minimum of 15 hours of lessons per week. This information has to be clearly confirmed in the required letter from the Brazilian school, as well as that the course, be it for a month, or a year, is fully paid. Please bring the payment receipt. The requirement of having a minimum of 15 hours of lesson per week does not apply to university students doing their BA, post-graduation course, or those doing their third year of university abroad.
Nationals of Austria, Chile, Colombia, Germany, Finland, France, Iceland, Netherlands, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Spain, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and United Kingdom are not required to have a student visa as long as they will not be enrolled at a Brazilian university or college, and that their stay does not exceed 90 days.
Student visa
Yes, you are correct. If you have a UK passport and provided that you don't enroll in a university or private college program, you can study at any other learning institution for up to 90 days while your Visa Waiver Program (VWP) entry is valid. You would not require a VITEM-IV Student Visa, unless you wished to enroll in a university or college.
Don't forget, there is actually a separate agreement between Brazil and the UK, that permits you to extend your stay by an additional 90 days, unlike other VWP countries. So, you could actually stay in Brazil for 180 consecutive days. All you would need to do is apply for the extension through the Policia Federal, prove you still have the funds to support yourself during the extended stay, and pay the fee for the extension.
You would be able to continue your studies during the period of the extension too.
Cheers,
James
expat.com Experts Team
good news james but would this idea be scuppered if i wanted to go now because i have already spent 6 months in brasil on a tourist visa from august 2015until feb2016
i,m back in uk now
gary
Regardless of whether one enters on a VITUR Tourist Visa or through the Visa Waiver Program, a tourist is only allowed a maximum of 180 days in any one year (rolling) period in Brazil.
You would be far better off to enroll in a course that would qualify you for a VITEM-IV Student Visa, then you could return at any time because the 180 day limit only applies to tourist visits, it is not counted against any other category of visa. The VITEM-IV is issued for a maximum of one year (but usually per semester), and is renewable as long as you remain enrolled in the course.
Hope this information helps you.
Cheers,
James
expat.com Experts Team
one more question on this subject please james.... do you know the criteria for enrolling on a course? for example is there a minimum time limit?
thankyou
gary
Hi Gary,
No, it would depend solely upon the institution, and the course. If you're looking at a university then you should check their website. You can find all of them with a quick Google search by state or city... example "universities in Minas Gerais" or "universities in Porto Alegre", etc.
Cheers,
James
expat.com Experts Team
just to clarify james
so i can enrol on a study course for say 3 - 6 months .. without a student visa.
but this will not count towards my 180 day limit in a 12 month period.
so in fact i could in theory i could stay in brazil for 180 days as a tourist go back to uk for 1 day then go back again for 90 days to study?
do you know if the place of study has to be acrredited if so by whom?
thanks again james
gary
No Gary that's not what I said. There are two ways about it.
1. VWP entry study (but not at a university or college) for up to 90 day. There is a possibility because of the separate VWP agreemente with BR/UK that you could extend to get 180 days. That's as a tourist and 180 days per year max.
2. Enroll in some qualified university/college/technical course and apply for a VITEM-IV Student Visa. VITEM-IV can be renewed as long as you remain in studies and school confirms. This does not count as tourist visit as it is another category of visa. And if you've already used up your 180 days in a year is the ONLY way you could legally re-enter Brazil.
Cheers,
James
expat.com Experts Team
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