Panel SA: The number of Brazilians interested in leaving the country grows

Demand for immigration advisory services has continued to rise in recent months, according to companies in the field.

Diana Quintas, a partner at the migration multinational Fragomen in Brazil, attributes the warming to different factors, some linked to the pandemic, such as the evolution of the home office and the large movement of layoffs that impacted migration and human resources policies of companies to adapt to the new demands from professionals.

“Even before the pandemic, 169 million people moved from country to country to work in 2019, representing 4.9% of the global workforce. For example, it fell under the Biden administration and nearly 30 countries have launched specific visas for digital nomads in recent years,” according to Quintas.

In the last five years, Fragomen registered a 200% increase in demand from Brazilians seeking visas to Portugal, one of the countries with the greatest attraction after the easing of rules for the flow. After the fluctuation of the pandemic, the expectation is that this year’s numbers will surpass 2021.

At D4U USA Group, another company in the industry, inquiries from people interested in switching countries have increased by 50% in the last 12 months. The company claims that the peak of these searches happens in the pre-election period.

From January to July 12, 14,014 Brazilians sent their declarations of definitive departure from the country to the Federal Revenue. In the whole of last year, there were 15,690.

The pace accelerated in the second half of 2021, with 15,017 declarations that were dammed by the closing of borders around the world.

Joana Cunha with Paulo Ricardo Martins and Diego Felix