The Labor Union in Brazil representing employees of the Ministry of Foreign Relations (MRE), the Sindicato Nacional Dos Servidores do Ministerio das Relacoes Exteriores (Sinditamaraty), has announced earlier today that MRE employees are on strike effective today. Employees of the Ministry of Labor and of the Department of Justice have joined other ministries in striking with the MRE employees’ union. The strike will have an immediate impact on most immigration applications, as all three of these ministries issue government approvals required to bring foreign nationals into Brazil to work.