Expat population in Brazil is rising

Expat population in Brazil is rising

Obtaining residency and employment for foreigners is still hard in Brazil but more expats than ever are arriving to make a new life, data suggests. There has been a significant rise in the number of foreign immigrants coming into Brazil because of the sheer variety of opportunities, according to experts, with many newcomers arriving from the United States.

Many expats are attracted to work in Brazil’s booming oil industry and the growing restaurant and hospitality sectors are also attracting a large number of overseas workers. In the run up to the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games a large number of foreign companies are working in Brazil providing services and consultancy.

By opening a business in Brazil using an investment visa many foreigner entrepreneurs are able to establish a means of income and the ability to live in Brazil legally. It is noticeable that a lot of new bar owners are also foreigners.

There is also a high demand for English speaking skilled workers especially in the IT, finance, education and oil and gas industries. Only 5% of the Brazilian population speak English and the country realises that if it is to compete on an international basis with the other BRIC countries such as China and India this figure needs to increase substantially. Not having a good command of English affects access to knowledge and to foreign markets, according to Antony Mueller, a professor of economics at the Federal University of Sergipe in Brazil.

Quote from Gringos.com : “I am living in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for just over two years now, married to the woman of my dreams for two year’s this up coming Aug. I have been in a ” permanent resident status ” for nearly two years as well… im wondering why it is taking so long for my status to be approved?”

Research by the British Council shows that English speakers can expect to earn between 20 and 50% more.  Figures also show that a growing number of Brazilian expats are returning home with the 2010 census confirming that from 2005 to 2010, 174,000 Brazilians returned to their home country, nearly twice as many as between 1995 and 2000. They are attracted back by economic growth, job stability and the fact that there are now fewer opportunities in both the United States and Europe.

A recent report by O Globo says that the number of requests for a Cadastro de Pessoas Físicas (CPF) by foreigners after they have obtained legal residence in the country has increased 10% since 2011. Official figures from the Registro Nacional de Estrangeiros (RNE), based on data issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs, shows that the number of legal foreign residents has boomed in the last decade – the number of foreign residents in Brazil increased from 22,418 in 2002 to 1,466,584 in 2011.

One reason could be that the law has been relaxed to allow so called illegal immigrants to be given permanent residency after a new law, known as the Amnesty Law, was introduced in 2009. This change is likely to have benefitted immigrants from neighbouring countries and so far over 43,000 have taken the opportunity to take up residency in Brazil. These include 17,000 from Bolivia, 4,600 from Peru and 4,100 from Paraguay. Other nations with high numbers include 5,500 from China and 1,100 from Korea with around 2,400 Europeans also coming into the system.