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IMPACT – HIGH
What is the change? President Michel Temer has approved Brazil’s New Law on Migration (Nova Lei das Migrações). The law was published Thursday in the Official Gazette.
What does the change mean? The new law revamps the primary legislation on the entry and immigration of foreign nationals and generally takes a more welcoming approach to attracting immigrants to Brazil.
Background: The new law is the result of a government review of the country’s immigration law, which has been in effect since the 1980 Alien Statute, when foreign presence in Brazil was viewed with greater skepticism. The law guarantees immigrant rights that are equal to those of Brazilian citizens, as well as equal access to public health and education. It passed the House in December and the Senate in April. Among key provisions:
The law is silent on Brazil’s Permanent Visa program, but does contain several articles on its Residence Visa program. It also covers other immigration-related topics including family reunion, repatriation, deportation, naturalization and penalties for noncompliance with immigration rules.
BAL Analysis: BAL continues to review and analyze the new law, but in general, the law reflects Brazil’s continuing efforts to promote policies to better attract foreign workers and ease processes for companies to recruit and retain these employees. While the law focuses mainly on refugee issues and preventing human trafficking, it may also provide some benefits to businesses and expatriate employees.
This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group in Brazil. For additional information, please contact brazil@bal.com.
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