Immigration of Brazilians to OECD Countries Increased 24 Percent, Third Largest Growth

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The number of Brazilians who have legally migrated to the 36 countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has increased by 24 percent in 2017 compared to the previous year, according to a report on international migration published on Wednesday by the organization.

It is the third-largest increase in migration to rich countries, behind only Thailand and Venezuela. In absolute numbers, however, Brazil ranks 17th in a list of 50 countries that most sent people to the OECD in 2017.

A total of 99,000 Brazilians moved legally that year, while 80,000 packed their bags in 2016.

Brazil was experiencing a time of slow economic upturn after two sudden drops in GDP in 2015 and 2016, coinciding with a serious political crisis that led to the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, with the increase in urban violence rates and the persistence of high unemployment rates.

The 2017 figures are also above the average recorded between 2007 and 2016. During this period, approximately 77,000 Brazilians left the country each year to live in OECD countries, according to the study.

The report further shows that, among developed countries, Portugal saw the largest increase in the flow of Brazilian migrants. If in 2016 a total of 7,100 people had chosen the European country to live, there were 11,600 in 2017, 64 percent more.

Italy is Preferred Country

However, in absolute numbers, Brazilians still prefer Italy, where 15,700 new immigrants arrived in 2017, the United States (15,000), Japan (14,200) and Spain (12,500).

Following Portugal, Spain and the United States were the countries that saw the greatest increase in the flow of Brazilians: 12 percent and nine percent more than in 2016, respectively, according to the study.

With regard to applications for citizenship, the OECD document shows that Brazilians mainly turn to Italy, where 9,936 people from the South American country became naturalized in 2017, the United States (9,701), Portugal (6,084) and Spain (1,294).

Asylum Applications Rise in the US

The report notes that Brazilians have applied for asylum in the United States. The US had recorded only 175 applications from Brazilians in 2009, but the rate has been steadily increasing: it reached 492 applications in 2014, 983 in 2015, 1,454 in 2016 and 2,625 in 2017.

Thus, in a period of only one year, the number of requests virtually doubled. In 2018 it stabilized, standing at 2,282 requests.

This abrupt change was mainly due to an increase in the number of Brazilians entering through the Mexican border and turning themselves in to US border guards claiming asylum, according to the newspaper Folha de S.Paulo in a report using public data accessed by the TRAC program of the University of Syracuse.

These applications have also been made, albeit to a lesser extent, by people who fly into the US and are detained at the airport.

Among the reasons most commonly used by Brazilians when seeking asylum are persecution for gender-based violence or sexual orientation, as well as police harassment – albeit fewer in number.

Some also say they need asylum due to economic or political circumstances, persecution by moneylenders or inheritance fights, according to the newspaper. The rate for granting asylum falls below ten percent.

After a four percent decline between 2016 and 2017, the flow of permanent immigrants to OECD countries grew again in 2018 to reach 5.3 million people, according to the annual report.

In addition, the document states that the economic and political crisis Venezuela is experiencing has displaced the humanitarian crisis: it is no longer Europe that is experiencing it, with the arrival of people fleeing the Syrian conflict, but the neighboring South American countries, which are taking in record numbers of Venezuelans, particularly Colombia.