On Thursday, March 9, the Brazilian flag will fly on the front page Visau, Which address: “Portugal is more Brazilian.” We learn from the headlines that the country’s citizens, once again led by Lula da Silva, number about 300,000 people living on Lusitanian territory – nearly a third of the foreign residents. And in a city like Braga, in the northeast of the country, they are already 8% of the population. behind these arrivals? Stories of perseverance and conquest, but also stories of recent political divisions. announce weekly.
In a volume of 12 pages Visau So I go to meet those who represent, “and by far”, The largest immigrant community in Portugal (ahead of the English and Cape Verdeans). The newspaper indicates that their number doubled during Bolsonaro’s term, but this migration flow is not expected to dry up since Lula’s return, due to the integration of Brazilians in Portugal. “breaks clichés” :
“Sectors such as tourism cannot do without it, but it is also present in the most diverse professions. And the allocation of residence permits that has become automatic [le 1er mars]It can greatly facilitate their entry into the country.”
Brazilian society is still divided
Among those who arrive in search of a better life, 25% are university graduates and 70% hold at least a baccalaureate degree. But on site, they sometimes have to reinvent themselves. Thus, the professions of maintenance agent, salesman or health assistant are the most practiced by Brazilian workers.
Patricia Lemos, the Brazilian director of Vou Mudar para Portugal (“I’m moving to Portugal”), a company she created in 2019 to facilitate the relocation and adaptation of her citizens, asserts that the change of power in Brazil does not change much: Brazil today is water and wine [tant le pays est divisé]. before the last election [présidentielle]I received many people in distress. After that, I guess I’ve never worked so much before. There are an incredible number of people who want to diversify their investments. Especially many businessmen who were not satisfied with the outcome of the elections and who consider Portugal as Plan B.
For Joao Fernandez, president of the Algarve Tourism Association, the south of Portugal has everything to gain from this Brazilian workforce. “We need waiters, cooks, receptionists, cleaners…” The latter cites a study that estimates a shortfall of 8,000 workers in the region for the hotel sector alone.
