Migration: Statistical Profile, Advantages and Disadvantages of Immigration and Emigration on Brazil

This article discusses the statistical profile of migration in Brazil, including levels of international migration, refugees and asylum seekers, and a breakdown of immigrant groups. It also analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of immigration and emigration on Brazil's economy, culture, and society.

Running head: Migration
Migration

Migration 1
Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................2
Statistical Profile.........................................................................................................................................2
(a) Latest population figures.............................................................................................................2
(b) Levels of international migration.................................................................................................2
(i.)Emigration vs. immigration................................................................................................................2
(ii) Levels of refugees and asylum seekers..............................................................................................3
(iii) A statistical breakdown of immigrant groups according to age, gender, religion and ethnicity........3
Advantages or disadvantages of immigration and emigration on Brazil......................................................4
Conclusion...................................................................................................................................................6
References...................................................................................................................................................7

Migration 2
Introduction
Brazil is known to be a country with broad immigration regulations which are reflected in its
ethnic diversity. It is a fifth largest country in the world by area and population. So, in this
article, the various aspects of immigration and emigration of Brazil shall be discussed in the
context of its various advantages and disadvantages. Furthermore, the various social and
economic impacts of the migration activities to and from the country shall also be analyzed in
this article.
Statistical Profile
(a) Latest population figures
The current population of Malaysia is 210,991,389 as per the latest estimates of the United
Nations. Its population is equivalent to 2.76% of the total population of the world. It ranks 5 in
the list of countries in terms of population. The density of population is 25 per Km2. The total
land area in the country is 8,358,140 Km 2. Around 85.3 % of the population is urban. The
average age of a Malaysian is 31.7 years.
(b) Levels of international migration
(i.)Emigration vs. immigration
As per the Ministry of External Relations of Brazil, almost 2.5 million people have left the
country. The main reason behind this is the search for employment. Another reason might be
that the people want to be close to their relatives or families. Most of the Brazilians emigrate to
Europe and Portugal while the number of migrants was 118,286 in 2014(Utsumi, 2014).

Migration 3
(ii) Levels of refugees and asylum seekers
As per UN News (2018), 25000 asylum seekers and around 10,000 temporary resident visa
holders migrated to Brazil since 2017. This number is constantly growing and the country is
finding it hard to provide public health care services such as sanitation. For this, the authorities
have allotted $58 Million as financial assistance to the refugees and asylum seekers.
(iii) A statistical breakdown of immigrant groups according to age, gender, religion and
ethnicity
About 43.1% of the immigrants are mulatto who is mixed white and black and 7.6% of them are
black. The white consist of 47.7% and the people who originate from Asia are 1.1 % of the
population of immigrants. The indigenous groups are 0.4% of the total population. The religions
followed by them comprise of Roman Catholicism comprising of 64.6 %, religions of indigenous
people and a type of spiritualism which has been originated in France comprising of 2.2 %. The
tribal religion of the Afro-Brazilian population comprises 1.4% and unspecified religion is 0.4%
of the total population (Machado, 2014).
22.33% of the children belong to the age group of 0-14 years and 16.36% of them belong to 15-
24 years. 43.86% of them belong to 25-54 years and 9.12% of them are between 55-64 years.

Migration 4
8.33% of them of 65 years of age and above. The sex ratio of the males to females in the age
group of 0-14 years is 1.04 males /female. There are 1.03 males /female in the age group of 15-
24 years.
In the age group of 25-54 years, there are 0.98 males/female and in the age group of 55-64 years
there are 0.89 males per female and amongst the age group of 64 years and above, there are 0.74
males per female. The total population consisted of 0.97 males per female in the year 2017
(Castles, De Haas and Miller, 2013).
Advantages or disadvantages of immigration and emigration on Brazil
Brazil is a major refugee receiving country as almost 800 Venezuelans arrive in Brazil every day
as per the UN refugee agency. As the number grows every day, they are in immense need of
food, housing and healthcare. Many of them also need international protection. They are also
facing the challenges of sexual exploitation and violence (UN News, 2018).
Brazil has mainly been termed as a refugee country as its culture has been influenced by the
ethnic groups of various countries. In the late 19th and 20th centuries, it has received a significant
number of migrants from Syria and Lebanon.
As per Brzozowski (2012) due to the growing emigration rates, the problem of brain drain has
arisen in Brazil. It has been facing monetary losses due to the loss of researchers.
In the opinion of Freguglia, Gonc¸alves and Silva (2014) the social and economic impacts of
emigration is the diffusion of technical knowledge from Brazil to the other countries as well as
decrease in the skilled labor causing an impact on the economic productivity of the country and
its capability to introduce innovative techniques and growth of the regional and urban areas.
Also, it is also affected by female brain draining (Escobar, 2017).
In this context, the government of Brazil passed a New Law on Migration in Brazil. Article 13 of
the law propagates the idea of a visitor visa which will also cover the activities for business
visitors, tourists, athletes and artists. There are also provisions for visitors who work in Brazil for
a temporary basis. There is a temporary work visa through which the foreign nationals who
possess a university degree can apply for temporary work visas.

Migration 5
There are permanent visas for long-term work authorization and residence visas. The immigrants
would be capable of obtaining a resident visa if they have come to Brazil for research activities,
medical treatment or humanitarian situation.
Advantages of immigration in Brazil are that the country is benefited by a rise in employment
and an improvement in its economical conditions (Machado, 2014). Brazil is befitted by a richer
and more diverse culture and it also helps to reduce the labor shortages in the country. The
pension gaps can be filled as the new workers would replace them so that they can also pay taxes
(Cohen, 2016).
The disadvantages may range from overcrowding in the country which may lead to the country’s
inability to provide even the basic resources to the people. It may also cause the increasing cost
of services such as health care, education and sanitation facilities. There might be racial and
cultural differences amongst the migrants and the local citizens of the country thereby creating
hostility and turbulence in its environment.
The attitude of the citizens of the country towards immigration and citizenship is related to the
issues of civil and ethnic nationalism. The extension of the rights of the citizens is aligned with
the safeguarding and promotion of the customs and traditions of the immigrant minorities
irrespective of their status of citizenship. It is also known as multiculturalism. Its aim is to
protect collective rights is to safeguard the cultural traits of minorities with the help of
authorizing their practices related to use of mother tongue and practicing their religion in public
(Skeldon,2012).
Researches even show that the identification of the nation is associated with the negative
sentiments of the citizens towards the immigrants. Even if the non-citizens have lived and
worked in the country for years, still they are regarded as aliens and non-nationals (Castles, De
Haas and Miller, 2013).

Migration 6
Conclusion
This article can be concluded by stating that migration has a positive and negative impact on the
country. It can be benefitted by cheap and abundance of labor. Often the migrants are ready to
perform unskilled jobs for meager wages. On the other hand, there are some skilled and talented
migrants who benefit the country’s economy by contributing towards the knowledge and
wellbeing of the country.
But there is another face of the coin which shows its negative aspects. The country may be
harmed due to an increasing pressure regarding the job opportunities by the immigrants.

Migration 7
References
Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP(2017) Brazil Immigration Forecast For 2017 And Beyond
[online] Available from: http://www.balglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/BRAZIL-Immigration-
Forecast-for-2017-and-Beyond_31_8_2017_FInal.pdf [Accessed 31st July, 2018].
Brzozowski, J.(2012) International migration and economic development. Estudos Avançados.
26 (75), pp.137-156.
Castles, S., De Haas, H. and Miller, M.J.( 2013) The age of migration: International population
movements in the modern world. London: Macmillan International Higher Education.pp.1-64.
Cohen, R.( 2016) Migration and its enemies: global capital, migrant labor and the nation-state.
USA: Routledge. pp. 1-233.
Escobar, H.(2017) Facing ‘doomsday’ scenario, scientists consider fleeing Brazil .American
Association for the Advancement of Science.
Freguglia, R.d.S. Gonc¸alves, E. and Silva, E.R.d.(2014) Composition and determinants of the
skilled out-migration in the Brazilian formal labor market : A panel data analysis from 1995-
2006. Economi. 15 (2014), pp. 100–117.
Machado, A.P.(2014) Welcome To Brazil: The Effect Of Immigration On The Country's
Economy. Forbes [online] Available from:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/arthurmachado/2014/12/02/welcome-to-brazil-the-effect-of-
immigration-on-the-countrys-economy/#7fe3582230f4 [Accessed 31st July, 2018].
Skeldon, R.(2012) Migration transitions revisited: their continued relevance for the development
of migration theory. Population, Space and place. 18(2), pp.154-166.
UN News (2018) Nearly 800 Venezuelans arriving in Brazil each day, many seeking asylum, UN
refugee agency says [online] Available from: https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/04/1006752
[Accessed 31st July, 2018].

Migration 8
Utsumi, I.(2014) Emigration From Brazil. The Brazil Business [online] Available from:
http://thebrazilbusiness.com/article/emigration-from-brazil [Accessed 31st July, 2018].