Brazil became the seventh largest exporter of permanent residence to the country in 2021, when the number more than doubled compared to 2019, the last year before the pandemic.
Paula Affonso, 39, from Pernambuco, Brazil, was a lawyer with a steady career in the federal civil service. She had to work as a factory worker in Canada. Her husband, 43-year-old José Arlan, who is also a lawyer, swapped suits for the construction worker’s overalls.
After four years abroad, they now have a house with a pool, two cars and no regrets. The couple and their three children are among 11,425 Brazilians who became permanent residents of the country in 2021, up 116% from 5,290 in 2019, the last year before the pandemic.
The increase made Brazil the seventh country to export the most permanent residence to Canada last year.
According to data from the Canadian immigration agency Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), in 2020, Brazil had come to the fore even in the face of the overall decline in immigration caused by the pandemic.
That year, Brazilians were ranked 9th on the list of the ten most immigrating nations to Canada for the first time, with 3,695 permanent residents. This year, by July 17, there are already 4110.
“The economic crisis and violence in Brazil are key factors that motivate them to leave the country. Added to this context is the political polarization that has caused people to have less confidence in Brazil’s future,” said Leonardo Paz, an analyst at Qualitative Intelligence. Mineral Exploration and International Intelligence Center in Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV).
But getting permission to live in Canada permanently is difficult.
“I used to work eight hours per shift at one factory, putting pepperoni on pizzas and starting at dawn. Then I would add another four hours as a marketing assistant at another company,” Paula recalls.
She was also a dishwasher at a cafe and lingerie store, as well as an administrative and legal assistant, combining roles as a Marketing student at Fanshawe College in London (a city in the State of Ontario).
Higher level course gateway
According to the IRCC, taking a higher education course in Canada like Paula was the route chosen by 43.5% of Brazilian permanent residents in 2021.
This is because, in addition to preparing the student for the local job market, a Canadian degree counts points on Express Entry, the government’s online system for evaluating immigrant candidates.
The score takes into account factors such as age, level of English and French, academic background and career path to choose who gets permanent residency.
“Canada is increasingly prioritizing people who study and work in the country,” says Camilla Lopes, director of education exchange agency Hi Bonjour. It has taken over 5,000 Brazilians to Canada since 2013.
Canada allows part-time work while studying to attract international students. Also, the spouse can work full time and the children have access to free public school.
Benefits allow families to earn income in dollars to cover their daily expenses.
Upon completion of the course, the student is entitled to a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP), a full-time work permit for up to three years in Canada.
“Permanent residence permits are usually obtained during this period,” Lopes emphasizes.
But many immigrants give up and return to Brazil. Reasons for this include not being able to withstand the heavy routine or seeing real savings run out.
Before becoming permanent resident, Paula says, “I’ve never lived as a tourist. I’ve never spent any money. I know people who have money and come back. Those who dedicate themselves first are rewarded later.” , her husband considered giving up several times.
“In winter, only his eyes are out, here is helplessness in the cold. He came home without water at 40 degrees in the summer,” he says.
However, motivated by the high wages in the construction industry, Arlan remains determined. “This kind of work, as well as electrician, carpenter, and machine operator, is not welcome here as it is in Brazil. It’s not necessary to have titles to earn well and be respected,” says the Pernambuco native.
Paula graduated from college in 2020, two years after arriving in Canada. “Life is different after graduation, the student can also work full time,” she says.
He is currently an education consultant for those who want to start their travels in Canada with a student visa. She is also a businesswoman in the real estate rental business and has professionalized her Instagram page (@paulanocanada) where she guides nearly 25,000 followers about life in the country.
“I never thought I would be working abroad, but it was possible here,” he says.
Immigration through studies requires financial investment. A two-year university course can fetch around R$150,000 excluding paperwork, airfare, rental housing, furniture and winter clothing, among others.
“Our career in Brazil has allowed us to have the financial reserve to invest in this dream. We don’t have a luxury life, but we have a much better life there than we had. I can pay for a car I’ll never have. At the end of the year, we were able to travel, family in Brazil.” We could see…”
Young people looking for opportunities
According to Paula, the greatest reward for this effort is seeing her children fully adapt to the country and have a future full of opportunities.
18-year-old twins Jabes and Carolina arrived in Canada at the age of 14, finished high school and were accepted into universities. He is studying Political Science at the University of Toronto and studying Medicine at the Western University in London.
The youngest Davi came to the country at the age of 5 without speaking a word of English. At the age of 8, she succeeds on her mother’s Instagram giving tips on language vocabulary and correct pronunciation.
“It’s invaluable to see children like Davi playing on the street without fear of violence, and knowing that my children like me also have the opportunity for professional and personal growth,” Paula said.
Families who just want to raise their children in a safe place aren’t calling the country, according to immigration counselor Juliana Klapouch.
“Today, I also see young talents in Brazil who do not have professional opportunities and want to take advantage of the opportunities offered by a first world country,” says the Klaps Immigration Consultancy partner.
That was the case of Giovanna Barino, 35, an English teacher, and her husband, Vitor Rigoni, 34, who works as a software developer.
They came to Canada as permanent residents in June 2017. Last month, after five years in the country, they went one step further: they gained citizenship with the right to vote and a Canadian passport.
The decision to leave Brazil was made in 2016 by the couple living in Vitória, Espírito Santo.
“Our lives were not progressing. We had worked hard, I even had a master’s degree, and we started to realize that without ‘IQ’, without people to ‘advance’ our lives, it was the same fate as our parents: work hard and achieve little,” says Giovanna.
The couple did not have the resources to pay for study abroad, but they had the ideal profile for direct immigration: under 30, with a high education level and an excellent level of English.
“We chose Canada because we adapted, because it was the country that gave us the opportunity to go straight from Brazil without fear of coming back,” said Giovanna.
When they settled in Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, they saw their professional life begin. In parallel, they created the Casal Nerd no Canada blog, where they detail their immigration process.
Vitor worked for two local businesses until he was hired a year and a half ago by multinational Shopify, Canada’s largest tech company and one of the world’s largest e-commerce platforms.
“Immediately, even at my first job, while I was still earning very little compared to Canadians, my income was already much higher than any income I had in Brazil,” he says.
Giovanna has also taught English to foreigners in language courses and at an NGO.
“But the blog has grown and many people who are interested in immigration like us wanted to learn from it,” says Vitor.
The two later opened Casal Nerd company in Canada, which specializes in English courses to which Giovanna is fully dedicated. Many free content is also offered to more than 47 thousand followers on Instagram.
Canada wants 1.2 million new immigrants
To attract more and more foreigners, the country offers around 70 immigration methods for different profiles.
“Canada is a multicultural society that understands the importance of immigrants to the well-being of the country,” says Kaplouch.
He explains that in addition to Federal programs, there are programs of the Provinces that select candidates based on local manpower needs.
In February, Canada’s Minister for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Sean Fraser announced a new plan with the goal of welcoming 1.2 million people by 2023, 20% more than the 2020 target.
According to the data of the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the year 2020, the main destination of Brazilians living abroad is still the USA with 1.77 million people. green card.
Canada ranks ninth among the largest Brazilian communities abroad with 121,000 permanent residents, but the growth trend is noteworthy.
“Canada, unlike the United States, facilitates immigration. There was a very strong policy of tightening towards immigrants during the Trump administration. Contrary to popular belief, the Biden administration did not abolish these policies, but tried to limit them. Just one of the most severe, such as separating parents and children in immigration detention centres. ‘ explains Paz.
Brazilian Saudade is the main challenge
Nostalgia is, in many cases, the biggest challenge faced by Brazilians in Canada. It even handles freezing temperatures, spiced foods, language difficulties, and money lost in converting reals to dollars.
“Spending Christmas away from family was one of the things that impressed me the most in the beginning. We didn’t have family and friends here… For the first six months, our routine was just to work, eat and sleep. Any social life”, remember Victor.
Sundays are still the hardest for Paula. “It was the day I went to lunch with my dad, ate my mom’s stew, laughed with my older sisters, hugged my friends,” she says.
After spending three months in Canada, she says she had a crying fit when she heard a song by Ivete Sangalo on her cell phone while cleaning the house. “Saudade is the immigrant’s price, and it’s not cheap.”
source: Noticias
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