Help !!

Hello Clémence,


First of all, on behalf of the entire Expat-blog Team, I would like to welcome you on board. I hope your experience here will be both enjoyable and informative.

Regarding to immigrating to Brazil and working here, if you and your Brazilian boyfriend have been living together as a couple for a year and can prove that with certain documents (linked to later) then you can apply for a VIPER Permanent Visa based on a stable relationship. If this is not an option then you would have to obtain a VITEM-V Work Visa which requires that you have a work contract with a Brazilian company.

Your experience in the tourism industry and your degree will be of great benefit to you, especially now with the World Cup and Olympic Games on the horizon. That said, it is absolutely essential that you learn the Portuguese language as soon as possible. While your other languages will be a great asset to you here, they are no substitute for Portuguese in the workplace. A reasonable level of fluency in Portuguese is necessary in order for you to have the ability to communicate with your superiors, co-workers, clients and business associates. You will also need it for day-to-day situations outside the workplace since English is not widely spoken here.

If you apply for a VIPER abroad the processing time is much shorter than here in Brazil (3 - 6 months on average), however you would not be able to enter Brazil until the visa is issued. Unfortunately if you apply for the VIPER based on a stable relationship here in Brazil not only is the processing time much longer (can exceed 2 years), while it will permit you to legally remain in Brazil while the application is being processed; it does not carry the automatic right to work as does an application based on marriage. If marriage is your ultimate objective then you may want to think about coming on a VITUR Tourist Visa and marrying shortly following arrival. That would permit you not only to remain in the country but also to work while the visa is processed.

For information on obtaining a VIPER Permanent Visa check the following link:

click on either "Permanência definitiva com base em união estável" or "Permanência definitiva com base em cônjuge brasileiro ou prole brasileira" depending on what you are going to base your application on.

http://portal.mj.gov.br/main.asp?ViewID … F70F4CB26}

I hope that this will be of considerable assistance to you and again WELCOME!

Cheers,
William James Woodward, Expat-blog Experts Team

Clemm,
Difficult to obtain a visa if you not married to a Brazilian, if your are not an  investor or if you did not get an expat contract.
Best bet: look if your uni does not have exchanges with Brazilian ones. It could open you doors.
You can look also at the french section of this same forum.
Good luck