According to the Brazilian Ministry of Labor, 2004 was a record year in terms of work authorization granted to foreigners in Brazil. From January through December, there were a total of 20.315 work authorizations granted to foreign workers, an increase of 17% over the total of 2003. According to the General Immigration Coordinator, Mrs. Hebe Romano, this statistic reflects the boost of the Brazilian economy last year. The recently issued resolutions from the Ministry of Labor are also closely related to the increase of this number, and sets high expectations for 2005, due to its much more flexible provisions, such as the reduction of a minimum investment of US$200,000.00 to US$50,000.00 for a foreign investor to obtain a permanent visa to Brazil. The United States is the country with the highest flux of labor force in Brazil, corresponding to nearly on in each five foreigners working in Brazil, followed by British, French, Italian, Chinese and Argentine citizens. The visa category that demonstrated the highest growth rate was the “Technical Visa”, where 1.943 work authorizations were granted last year, an increase of 128% over 2003. The 90-day Technical Visa was also highly required, having 3.998 work authorizations granted throughout 2004. On the other hand, the government statistics demonstrated that there was a reduction in the work authorizations granted to foreigners hired with a 2-year labor agreement in high staff positions. In 2004 there were 1.658 work authorizations granted for this visa category in opposition to the average of more than 2.000 work authorization granted per year up to 2002. Finally, in 2004, there were 3.950 foreigners granted with artists visa and 6.381 crew and maritime technical visa (mainly oil exploitation at PETROBRAS platforms).
Valor Econômico S.A. – March 7, 2005