Brasília – The Brazilian government has made the rules easier for foreigners to get work permits. According to the new regulations, issued this Friday (17th) in the Official Gazette, the documentation process required from both the hiring companies and the workers has been made simpler. Another stimulus measure to foreign labour is a set of rules for granting visas to masters and doctoral students on vacation, for up to 90 days’ temporary work, with no extensions.
In the case of workers, the process has been made simpler by allowing online document submission, so long as safety and authenticity are ensured. The digital data will be stored by the Labour and Employment Ministry’s General Office for Coordination of immigration (Coordenação Geral de Imigração – CGIg). If a worker comes to Brazil through ties between companies – such as groups or conglomerates –, documentation to prove ties will not be required.
From now on, workers may obtain work permits for the country even if their remuneration is lower than the one they had in their country of origin. The previous resolution regulating work permits to foreigners did not allow for this.
With regard to documentation required from companies, a term of responsibility will no longer be required by the Labour Ministry concerning medical and hospital expenses of the foreigner hired. The total amount of documents has been reduced from ten to six.
For masters and doctoral students, the resolution issued today sets forth that their work is not necessarily required to be related to internships or exchange programs. Still, in order for these persons to obtain temporary visas – which are not work permits –, employers will still be required to submit documents to and get clearance from the Labour Ministry.
According to Labour Ministry data, in quarter one, 2013, over 15,000 authorizations – 689 permanent and 14,300 temporary. In 2012, over 73,000 authorizations were issued.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
