Now hiring: Brazil wants more foreign professionals

Now hiring: Brazil wants more foreign professionals Related Topics World » Brazil » By Esteban Israel SAO PAULO | Fri Aug 24, 2012 12:23pm EDT (Reuters) - Brazil's government is exploring ways to ease immigration rules in order to attract up to 10 times more foreign professionals and help spur economic growth, a senior official told Reuters. A lack of skilled workers is one of many bottlenecks that have lately brought the world's sixth largest economy to a near standstill. From construction sites to oil rigs and technology operations, companies are struggling to find qualified workers to ramp up their operations in Brazil. Internet giant Google, for instance, currently has 39 open positions in Brazil. "This country has become very isolated from the rest of the world in terms of its labor markets and that is affecting our competitiveness," said Ricardo Paes de Barros, who heads a team on strategic initiatives at the president's office. "We want to turn that around so Brazil will be better connected with the rest of the world in terms of transfer of knowledge," he said in a telephone interview. A former Portuguese colony, Brazil has a long history of welcoming immigrants from all over the world, similar to the United States. In the last few centuries, the country has received waves of immigration from Africa, Europe, Japan and most recently from poorer neighbors such as Bolivia. But economic woes in the second half of the last century reduced the arrivals to a trickle. Today foreigners represent just 0.3 percent of Brazil's workforce, down from 7 percent at the beginning of the 20th century. In Australia, a similarly sized country that has long attracted immigrants, foreigners account for about 20 percent of the workforce. The debate over a more flexible immigration framework reflects Brazil's new status as an emerging economic power. Near full employment has boosted the popularity of President Dilma Rousseff, herself the daughter of a Bulgarian immigrant. "We need to reach a level of 2 to 3 percent of our workforce made up of foreigners. That means multiplying the current levels by 10," said Paes de Barros, a Yale-educated economist. "If we do that we should be fine." The timing, however, may not be ideal. By the time a bill finally lands in Congress, the 2014 presidential vote will already be around the corner, which could make it difficult for Rousseff to divert her attention from a re-election push. "The other variable to keep in mind is that much will depend on a rebound in economic growth in 2013 and 2014. Because if we are in an environment where unemployment starts to take off and the labor markets starts to cool off this becomes a more difficult sell," said Chris Garman, an analyst at Eurasia Group, a consulting firm. "The government, unfortunately, is coming to this a little bit late." Brazil's economy is expected to grow less than 2 percent this year but gain speed again in 2013 as a flurry of government stimulus measures take effect. The jobless rate, however, remains near an all-time low of around 5.8 percent. TALENT DEFICIT Brazil granted 70,524 work permits to foreign professionals in 2011, 25.9 percent more than in 2010, according to the Labor Ministry. That's almost three times more than the 25,400 permits issued in 2006. And yet by some estimates the country still needs an additional 20,000 engineers a year to keep up with ambitious plans to modernize its obsolete infrastructure and tap massive offshore oil reserves. That led mining giant Vale to create its own training programs for engineers and is reportedly one of the reasons delaying a $12 billion investment by Foxconn to manufacture iPads in Brazil. Critics blame decades of underinvestment in Brazil's public education system, which leaves many Brazilians at a disadvantage in the job market. Rousseff launched a bold effort last year to address the educational deficit holding back Brazil's technological and engineering development, the Science without Borders initiative, which will send 100,000 Brazilians to study abroad for a year at the best universities across in the world. The talent deficit has become even more pressing as Brazil's preparations for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games seem to be running behind schedule. The debate comes as more Spanish and Portuguese professionals left out of work by Europe's debt crisis are landing in Brazil in search of opportunities. But business leaders complain that Brazilian bureaucracy makes it difficult and expensive to hire foreigners. In order to hire professionals from other countries, firms must first prove they were unable to find suitable workers at home. They are also required to train Brazilians to eventually replace the foreign employees. Foreigners face seemingly endless paperwork at government ministries and police stations. Getting a temporary identity card can often take more than six months. "Hiring a foreigner in Brazil is complicated. It takes a lot of bureaucracy, time and uncertainty regarding whether it will be granted," said Luiz Fernando Alouche, an immigration lawyer with the Almeida Advogados firm in Sao Paulo. A task force created this week will prepare a report on the advantages and challenges of new, more flexible regulation to attract skilled foreign workers. Paes de Barros expects to have the results on his desk in six months. The government expects to have a final proposal ready by mid 2013. After that, Paes de Barros said, it will be left up to politicians. A less ambitious immigration bill introduced by the government in 2009 has been lingering in Congress ever since. For Paes de Barros, it boils down to simple math -- the number of immigrants in Brazil is half of that at the start of the 20th century, when the population was 10 times smaller. "We are worried we are losing comparative advantages." (Editing by Todd Benson and Kieran Murray) RESOURCE: REUTERS INTERNATIONAL

VISA FOR GAY PARTNERS IS NOW RECOGNISED IN BRAZIL

migração: Visto para cônjuge gay fica mais fácil

16/11/2011

Segundo o Ministério da Justiça, chancela do STJ ao casamento homossexual vai acelerar os processos

Alana Rizzo

Na segunda-feira, o Diário Oficial da União publicou a concessão de visto para a permanência no Brasil do cubano Antonio Vega Herrera, que vive com um brasileiro em Araçatuba (SP). Apesar de não ter sido o primeiro visto concedido em consequência de uma união homoafetiva, a decisão do Ministério da Justica é considerada emblemática porque vai desburocratizar futuras solicitações desse tipo. O embasamento para isso é a decisão do Superior Tribunal de Justiça (STJ) que, em 25 de outubro, reconheceu o casamento de duas mulheres no Rio Grande do Sul.

A partir de agora, o processo de concessão do visto, que antes poderia levar anos tramitando no Conselho Nacional de Imigração, será agilizado. Passará apenas pela Polícia Federal. “Trata-se de um marco porque entendemos agora que são casos de reunião familiar, com os mesmos direitos dos casamentos heterossexuais”, explica a diretora do Departamento de Estrangeiros, do Ministério da Justica, Izaura Miranda.

“Teremos um procedimento ordinário, porque com a decisão do STJ os casais passarão a apresentar as certidões de casamento assim que derem entrada com o pedido de visto na PF”, complementa. Izaura afirma que o governo já vinha concedendo vistos para casais homossexuais com base em duas resoluções do Conselho de Imigração. Elas estabelecem que a união estável, sem distinção entre homo e heterossexual, é suficiente para a obtenção do benefício.

“A dificuldade é que algumas vezes os cartórios negavam a certidão e os casais tinham que ir em busca de outras provas e testemunhas. Agora vai ficar mais fácil”, destaca. Caberá à PF analisar a documentação apresentada e fazer possíveis diligências para atestar a veracidade do casamento. Esse procedimento é adotado também nos casos de uniões heterossexuais.

Para o secretário Nacional de Justiça, Paulo Abrão, o visto concedido ao cubano na última segunda-feira reforça o Estado laico brasileiro. “O Estado tem o dever de proteção jurídica para todos e todas sem discriminação”, afirma Abrão.
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Companies in Brazil are seeking Highly Skilled Professionals

Due to the increase of the Brazilian Economy, some rare professionals have been searched by several companies and, according to Human Resources Experts, it is easier for a company to hiring a foreigner with high professional skills rather than hiring Brazilians who come out of not well rated Universities. The companies are looking for professionals from: Railroad Engeneering; Ship Engeneering; Civil Engeneering... The foreigners must have studied at Public Universities and become fluent in Portuguese.