Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is seeking a six-month tourist visa to remain in the United States. The request was filed on January 27 and it comes amid reports that he arrived to the US on an A-1 visa, which is granted to heads of state and only valid while they are in that position. The US State Department has refused to confirm Bolsonaro’s visa status due to confidentiality. Bolsonaro has been in Florida since December 30, leaving Brazil days before the January 1 inauguration of his successor, current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
His presence in Florida has drawn criticism by House Democrats, who in mid-January urged US President Joe Biden not to “provide shelter” for Bolsonaro in the wake of his supporters storming Brazil’s democratic institutions in the capital Brasilia – an attack that has drawn comparisons to the US Capitol riots on January 6, 2021.