The new Migration Law enters into force in Brazil with gaps to be clarified

The new Migration Law entered into force today in Brazil with the objective of equalizing the rights and duties of foreigners to those of Brazilians and facilitating their arrival in the country as a hand of work, although it is still to clarify how to apply the text to reality, according to specialists consulted by Efe.

Sao Paulo, Nov 21 (EFE) .- The new Migration Law entered into force today in Brazil with the aim of equalizing the rights and duties of foreigners to those of Brazilians and facilitating their arrival in the country as a workforce, although it is still to clarify how to apply the text to reality, according to specialists consulted by Efe.

The legislation, enacted last May by President Michel Temer with a score of vetoes, will replace the Statute of Foreigners, which dates from the military dictatorship (1964-1985) and saw the immigrant as "a threat to security national, "Diana Quintas, lawyer in Brazil of the firm Fragomen, told Efe.

" It is a total reform of migration. restrictive (...) The new one is totally open, gives rights and guarantees and expressly prohibits xenophobia "and racism, says the lawyer.

For Professor Istvan Kasznar, from the center of economic studies Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV), the current document is "more liberal and adequate to properly address Human Rights" of immigrants.

The norm, driven by the now chancellor, Aloysio Nunes, equates the rights and duties of immigrants to that of Brazilians, regulates their entry and stay in the country, besides proposing guidelines to promote public policies directed towards them.

On the other hand, it establishes the visa for visits, which will include tourism and business, and allows foreigners with higher or equivalent courses work in Brazil without the need to have to arrive with a formal proposal for employment of a company based in the country.

However, it remains to be seen how it is really articulated in the In this sense, Kasznar assures that in the law "there is a lot of writing in the face of the law". gallery ", but, in his opinion," realism on certain issues "is not reflected with" the property that would be expected ".

For the teacher it does not make much sense to guarantee immigrants "access to public health services and social assistance and the pension system" (Article 4 VIII), when "the Brazilian today does not have qualified medical assistance nor has a good social assistance ".

" It's a dead letter because in the background these people from Haiti and Venezuela will arrive and they will be abandoned, "he adds.

Between the years 2010 and 2015 The number of immigrant employees increased by 131% in Brazil, from 54,333 to 125,535, which corresponds to less than 0.5% of workers in the formal labor market, according to data officers.

In 2015, Haitians represented 26.4% of the immigrant workforce in the country.

"The law has loopholes and brought the mention of a decree in Quintas, who considers that with the publication of the decree the matter will not be resolved because some points require joint actions by the Ministries of Labor, Justice and Foreign Relations.

In order to be able to come to look for a job without a formal offer of work, it will be necessary to have the title of a higher or equivalent course in "strategic professions for Brazil ", but there are no" details "of what those activities are, the lawyer emphasizes.

The law also needs to define a control system, like the one that already works in advanced countries in receive immigrants, such as Canada and Australia; controversial, "Kasznar points out.

For Quintas, the law" is also controversial at a time of so much unemployment "and amidst the still latent effects of the economic crisis.

the new law comes into force with a score of vetoes from Temer that responded in a certain way to the pressures of right-wing groups considering that it opened the doors of the country indiscriminately to foreigners.

Faced with these changes of depth, the competent bodies have up to a year to unify computer systems based on the new law, but They have not yet started, Quintas says.

"It's no use having a beautiful, open, pioneering, avant-garde and balanced law, if you can not put it into practice," he adds.

Carlos Meneses Sánchez