Foreign investment and foreigners entry in Brazil: laborer authorized immigrant and individual investors profiles - 2005-2009

Abstract

Due to globalization process, privatizations, expansion of the international commerce and flow of capitals, Brazil emerges into the international scenery, from the middle of the decade of 1990, as one of the best countries for investments. There are several reasons: stable macroeconomical environment, perspective of economical growth, 190 million inhabitants eager for consumption, self-sufficiency in electric energy, affluent natural resources, political stability and example for all Latin America. This article analyses the amount, origin and destiny of the investments (by natural person) done by foreigners in Brazil and describes the profile of immigrants by nationality, authorizations granted for work (temporary and permanent), groups of occupation, education levels and migratory destiny. In accordance with the informations of the General Immigration Coordination (Coordenação Geral de Imigração) of the Ministry of Labour and Employment (Ministério do Trabalho e Emprego), the foreign investment, together with work authorizations granted to foreigners and as individual investors has been increasing in the country. Between 2008 and 2009, the highest amounts of investments, in Brazil, were reserved to the states of Sao Paulo, Bahia, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte and Rio de Janeiro, and proceeded from Italy, Spain, Portugal, USA and China. With regard to the profile of immigrants, the requests of work visa were mainly granted, between 2005 the 2009, for the state of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, for occupations in tourism boats and work on board or foreign platform, respectively. Concerning the three northeastern states, the visa for individual investors is the most solicited one. Those who arrive in the state of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro normally are natural from the USA, United Kingdom and Philippines, while in northeastern states the provenance belongs to Italians, Portuguese and Spaniards, with higher education.