Medical Exam & Interview - Brazil

[amalucada-vida 0]

Has anyone had the medical exam in Brazil? I'm a little worried about my husband's tattoos. He has never been part of a gang or anything like that, but he has one tattoo that is in Russian (just something he liked - he's not a communist or anything, but he does read about socialism and politics a lot, he's just a political kind of guy), and also has a tattoo in Arabic that says "resistance" - again, not an activist or anything at all related to terrorism or anything like it, rather he sympathizes with the Palestinian cause and, being into politics and world news, he is against the Israeli occupation in Palestine and got a tattoo to kind of represent it. That's as far as it goes, though.

How closely do they look at tattoos, or care what they are? I've gotten mixed reviews from reading - some say that if you can explain them (which we can, and they are harmless explanations) and depending on the country, that they don't care much - especially considering that everyone in Brazil has tattoos of various things - they're pretty obviously not gang-related, plus we're not in a country where gangs are an issue (I've heard this is more serious in Mexico and Guatemala for example). We definitely don't want to lie or cover them with makeup or get them removed, because I think that would just look worse.

Also, what to expect from the rest of the medical exam? What do they test for exactly? One person told me that it can get pretty extensive, like drug testing and the like (not that we're worried about that) and others said that it's very basic - just tests for incurable diseases.

Lastly, the interview - has anyone been through it in Brazil? We are using a lawyer in the US, but we live in Brazil, and the lawyer did all of our documentation submissions, including the big binder full of photos and affidavits and all that good stuff. Will that binder reach Brazil, or do I have to put one together again by myself? I guess I don't really know where it went so far. We're at the stage where we're about to submit the application post-NVC approval, so the next step will be the medical exam and interview.

I admit I'm getting nervous that I'll end up having to choose between my man and my country :-( I know my man would win, but I really, really want to move back home. Any advice or experiences you can share would be a great help. Thanks for reading, sorry I was kind of rambly - this is my first post.

[jostermacedo 52]

Hi Amalucada-vida,

I don't think the tattoos will be a problem. We (myself, wife and daughter) did the medical in SP in April last year. They will check vaccinations (he should take all records to the medical in order to avoid taking all vaccines again), sifilis (blood test) and a chest x-ray to check for tuberculosis. They may ask for additional test if they see anything during the medical that warrants more investigation. I believe they could ask for drug testing, but I'm not sure this happens frequently.

In my experience the medical was very straightforward with no surprises.

Our interview was tough though (investor visa, EB-5) but everything was approved. I believe others will help you better than me regarding the documentation for the interview.

Good luck!

Joster

[Shiobhan 235]

Those Latin countries the embassy get finicky about tattoos, many people have been barred

if its deemed gang related, The Arabic writing "resistance" may raise eyebrows, most definitely

the doctors there is required to put all observed tattoos and results in their reports.

The tests are for drugs, stds, observe all meds being taken if any,give vaccine if needed, and the

doctor ask if there is past drugs use.

Getting an expert to translate all his tattoos and do a professional report to take medical should

be a good idea

[amalucada-vida 0]

~Moved from IR-1/CR-1 Visa Process to Regional Discussion: Mexico, Latin & South America since inquiry is about medical exam and interview in Brazil~

Hi, I'm still new to the forums - does this mean there won't be more replies here? I'm not sure how to find the Regional Discussion to follow it further, if so. Please help me out, this site is a little hard to navigate!

Thanks for the other replies!

[amalucada-vida 0]

Nevermind, I figured it out, sorry