Rio Medical Exam & Impact on Visa Delivery

[Keny 3]

In the past for a visa... you would go to the doctor and get a medical exam. They would put the results in a sealed package and you would take it to the interview.

The Embassy says that what you bring to the interview should include the sealed medical packet.

I have been told by the doctor in Rio that they will not give the packet to the applicant and will only SedEx it to the embassy.

I am trying to find out if the process has changed and if the embassy is just slow in changing their web page.

I know that many people had the medical info sent after the interview.

My concern is the delay it could create in sending the visa. The embassy says they send the visa 2 to 3 days after the interview. However if they have not processed the medical package then I would think it would get delayed.

I know there have been people that have waited additional time because of the medical information delay. I am not sure if delay is from the doctor or the embassy.

Also if it is true that you can no longer take the packet to the interview.... could you send the information ahead of time.

Would love to hear any information anyone has on this topic

Thanks

[Mariana M. 18]

Did you get that e-mail with explanations from Dr. Aurelio Garrido too? I've been wondering the same things.

[KayDeeCee 4,895]

~ Moved from K-1 Process to Mexico, Latin & South America regional - topic specific to Brazil ~

[Al422 221]

Most med offices send it themselves to the embassy. Best practice is to do the exam at least one week before interview so you can be sure the file is there on interview day.

[Mariana M. 18]

Most med offices send it themselves to the embassy. Best practice is to do the exam at least one week before interview so you can be sure the file is there on interview day.

I don't know how it is in other countries, but here there are only 3 certified doctors. So if you live in any of the other 24 states you have to make a trip.

For example, my interview is in Rio on a Tuesday and I'll have to do the medical on Monday. I can't stay in Rio for a whole week.

The doctor said that many people do it and it normally doesn't cause delays, but you never know.

[Keny 3]

Really is a pain to only have 3 doctors... I know years ago they used to have one in every major city. Had a friend drive from Goiania to Brasilia and got the sealed packet the same day.

We are having to travel to Rio also, and to make things worse there is a child involved, which requires a test that takes 3 days to get the results. We opted to have the results sent 1 day late to the embassy.

The risk is that I have read reports of people having delays when the medical is sent after the interview.

[Al422 221]

I can top that. In Philippines they have ONE medical office in the whole country that does it. So if you live on the other side of the country, it is called getting on a plane. My wife had to deal with that too (and I had to deal with the credit card bill for the plane tickets). But that is one of the things you just have to put up with if you want the visa.

If you don't give them enough time to get your medical report to the embassy, you are playing Russian roulette with the most important document of your life. Is it worth it?

Get there a week in advance.

[Mariana M. 18]

I can top that. In Philippines they have ONE medical office in the whole country that does it. So if you live on the other side of the country, it is called getting on a plane. My wife had to deal with that too (and I had to deal with the credit card bill for the plane tickets). But that is one of the things you just have to put up with if you want the visa.

If you don't give them enough time to get your medical report to the embassy, you are playing Russian roulette with the most important document of your life. Is it worth it?

Get there a week in advance.

When I booked everything I did some research and it seemed to me that it's ok to do the medical close to the interview date. My interview is in a week and I'll have to do that, the day before. The doctor said that plenty of people do it and it doesn't normally impact on the visa issuance time. If it does, I'm sure it won't be a lot of extra time (that's why this topic was created, to find that out).

Also, as I understand, in Brazil you never take your medical results to the embassy, they always mail it. So you don't really have a choice, it's just a matter of perhaps waiting a little more.

I might be saying all that to reassure myself a little haha there's nothing I can do now

Edit: I'm sorry, I just reread everything and I realized we've discussed all of this before I had forgotten.

Edited October 28, 2014 by Mariana M.

[Mariana M. 18]

So, I did my medical a day before my interview, on Monday last week, and my visa is still on AP.

This means that it definitely delays a little bit the visa issuance, considering that according to VJ timelines people usually receive their visas 1 week after the interview.