Portugal visa applicants in Brazil are expected to face delays as the employees at the Portuguese Embassy and consular posts in the country have begun a four-week strike.
This week’s strike started yesterday, March 3, and will last until Thursday, March 6. This means that services will be available on Friday, but due to the high demand, it will be impossible for all requests to be taken into account, leading to delays, Schengen.News reports.
The strike will continue until the end of the month, with the employees working only on Fridays. The schedule of this four-week strike is as follows:
- March 3-6
- March 10-13
- March 17-20
- March 24-27
Taking into account the expected delays in visa processing and other consular services, citizens of Brazil who plan to apply for a Portuguese visa are advised to plan accordingly and not leave everything for the last minute in order to avoid any other unforeseen delays.
Strike Called by STCDE Due to “Frozen” Exchange Rate
The strike was called by the Union of Consular Workers and Diplomatic Missions and Central Services of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (STCDE) due to the government’s lack of action to ensure that the workers’ salaries are set in euros.
According to the union, the employees currently receive less than half of what they actually earn due ot the exchange rate, which has been considered as fictitious by the union.
Their wages were frozen at the exchange rate of one euro to 2.638 reais, a fictitious exchange rate. There was no replacement of these workers’ salary scales in euros, and they currently receive less than half of what they are owed.
The strike was initially announced in early February, with the union requiring the issue to be resolved. However, since nothing changed, the union decided to move on with its plan.
Brazilians Continue to Complain About Long Waiting & Processing Times
Passport holders of Brazil wanting to obtain a Portuguese visa have been continuously complaining about the long waiting and processing delays.
Last month, a group of Brazilians protested outside the Portuguese Consulate in São Paulo over the long visa delays.
Protesters said that their requests are not being taken seriously and that they need to wait a long period of time just to receive a response on their application.
A protester said that it is taking the authorities up to six months to process their visas, the same complained about the low rate of approvals.
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