Immigration Administration in Brazil:Fragmentation and Lack of Coordination and its Challenges to Migration Policy

Abstract

This article tackles the administration of immigration in Brazil. It aims to shed light on the processes that involve the entry of foreigners to Brazil. It focuses on both workers and refugees and on the particularities, that mark the bureaucratic procedures for their admission and regularization in Brazil. By doing so, we aim to increase the transparency of the process, helping other researchers to advance in the agenda, but mostly the users of the system to have their status recognized more easily. The difficulties presented by Brazilian immigration administration are introduced throughout the article. Based on previous benchmarking on other countries’ migration policies and databases, we suggest some improvements for Brazil. These suggestions are especially relevant in the recent context. The approval of a new Migration Law in Brazil presents us with an opportunity to improve migration policy and administration during the regulation of this legal instrument.