Brazilians abroad send record volume of money to the country

The devaluation of the real against currencies such as the dollar and euro has encouraged Brazilians around the world to remit record amounts of money back to the country, which are transformed into investments such as buying real estate and land, opening small businesses and helping family members .

Personal transfers to Brazil in January and September reached US$ 2.84 billion (R$ 15.9 billion), the highest volume in the series started in 1995.

For those who live in the United States, Canada or Europe and receive a salary in local currency, the dollar at around R$ 5.60 and the euro at R$ 6.35 have helped to help family members in Brazil to get through the pandemic.

This is the case of Roni de Souza, 53, a truck driver who moved to the US in 1998. He did a little of everything: washed dishes in restaurants, installed carpets and floors and learned to drive trucks. He currently owns a company in the area and coordinates a fleet of nine trucks and nine trailers, all driven by Brazilians, in New Jersey.

The shortage of truck drivers in the US makes the profession one of the most valued in the country. According to Roni, earnings range from US$900 to US$3,000 (R$5,000 to R$16.8 thousand) per week.

He has helped family members in Brazil since he arrived in the United States. “It’s what everyone who comes here does,” he says.

With the high dollar, last year he bought a house for his brothers, as well as an apartment in Vila Velha and land in Domingos Martins, both in Espírito Santo. He also helps his mother, who lives in Goiás. “In the pandemic, everything became more difficult for everyone. We truck drivers were lucky because we didn’t stop working.”

Alissandra Gomes, 30, is a biologist and left São Paulo for Vancouver, Canada, in May. It was with her husband, who was offered a job in the technology area, in search of a better life.

“The job market for our areas of work is undervalued in Brazil. Living abroad makes it easier to help my mother, who is unemployed. With the minimum wage and the devalued real, US$ 100 (BRL 560) becomes a good thing value to help my family in Brazil,” says Alissandra.

Despite being able to help her family, the biologist is rooting for the recovery of the national currency.

“The devaluation of the real is very bad for the country, as products and some services based on the dollar are much more expensive. Even without a pandemic, it would be impossible for my family to visit me, as air tickets are very expensive,” he says.

“I hope that the real will increase, so that products such as information technology will be more accessible to the population [brasileira].”

There are those who are also waiting for the appreciation of the real to leave life in Brazil for good. Truck driver Daniel Gonçalves Chaves, 41, who has lived in the US since 2001 and has already become an American citizen, hopes the real will appreciate in order to leave Belo Horizonte life behind for good.

“Before having a child, I even thought about going back. Now I want to sell my things in Brazil, but it’s not paying off. I’m waiting.”