Starting next week, Brazil will tighten visa-free entry rules, the government announced yesterday, as migrants increasingly - often use the South American country as an intermediate stop on the way to the USA and Canada, reported Reuters, quoted by BTA.
From Monday, foreign travelers without a Brazilian visa transiting through Brazil on their way to another country must travel to their destination or return to their home country, Brazil's Ministry of Public Security said in a statement to Reuters.
Brazil has seen a boom in foreign travelers, particularly from Asia, who land in the country for a presumptive stay only to claim asylum while there, the ministry said.
These visa-free travelers will now not be allowed to stay in Brazil.
According to two reports from authorities, these migrants want to stay in Brazil, claiming they are persecuted and threatened in their home countries.
After being granted asylum in Brazil, many of them often travel north by land, heading mainly for the United States or Canada, the ministry said, citing police investigations.