The General Immigration Coordination (CGIg) of the Ministry of Labour granted 28,658 work permits to foreigners living in Brazil in 2016. Most were granted to men, who received 25,393 permits, compared to only 3,265 for women. Almost all are between 20 and 49.

The data was presented at the first ordinary meeting of the National Immigration Council (CNIg), held this Tuesday (14 February).

In 2016, most work permit recipients were granted to US nationals: 3,952. Other major countries in terms of recipients included the Philippines (2,841), United Kingdom (1,844), India (1,675), Italy (1,664), Spain (1,389), Germany (1,228) and France (1,204). Of the 28,658 permits given in 2016, about half (15,993) were for workers with a college degree.

Length of Stays

The meeting of the National Immigration Council also included a presentation on the number of immigrants who requested Brazilian residency permits to CNig (the body responsible for formulating Brazilian immigration policy). According to the general immigration coordinator of the Ministry of Labour, Hugo Gallo Medeiros da Silva, the Council granted 1,156 permits in 2016.

Most immigrants who received authorisation from the CNIg to permanently settle in Brazil are from Ghana (397), Senegal (226) and Bangladesh (123). Almost all are men - 1,050, compared to 106 women, and most are between the ages of 20 and 49.

The work permit is a prerequisite for foreign nationals to apply for a work visa in Brazil. Unlike what happens in cases of humanitarian visas, the applicants for which are mostly from poor countries and have low level of education, work permits are usually requested by people from developed countries with some degree of academic training.