São Paulo – Bill number 16,685 was signed into law this Wednesday (21) by governor of São Paulo Geraldo Alckmin. It establishes that refugees are exempt of the fee for revalidation of graduation, post-graduation, master’s and doctor’s diploma and degrees in universities of the state of São Paulo.
According to the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the law will facilitate the integration process of refugees in Brazil, since it enables refugees to access jobs compatible to their respective education levels, and it also allows for them to continue their academic studies. State congressman Carlos Bezerra Jr., president of the Human Rights Commission of the São Paulo State Congress (Alesp) is the author of the project.
The costs for diploma revalidation can reach up to BRL 20,000 (USD 6,220). In addition to being expensive, the process can take several months, according to Compassiva, a UNHCR partner organization that works with diploma revalidation of refugees in São Paulo and Brazil. (Read a news feature on the topic here: https://bit.ly/2DL9KWM).
Translated by Sérgio Kakitani
