Moving to Brazil for love ?

Hi, im kevin and if youd asked me a month ago that i was even thinking of moving from u.k ide of said you were mad..but i have befriended a brazilian woman who has asked me if i would ever consider moving to brazil and now its got me thinking, i have job security in uk working for bae systems but no trade as have worked only as a machine operator 14 years for this company. Whist only chatting on line and skype with this woman,a nurse, studying to be doctor who is very religous and asked if i would consider brazil  to marry start a family.while im no fool i do like this lass for her values which are rare in u.k and in an ideal world ide go for it..but i wouldnt know where to start..weve talked about me going for a holiday meet her family but i dont want to take this nice girl on a ride,whisth starting a new life/ family in brazil sounds great ide struggle for work in brazil and dont have the savings that would get me by..do i break this girls heart now...help.

Hi, Kevin!

A new romance in a new country - how exciting!  Enjoy it, but be careful of getting ahead of yourself.  Your idea of a vacation in Brazil is a good one.  I met my husband online, so I know it can work out.
The usual online caveats apply.  Requests to send money are suspect:  you should turn them down.  So is pressure to speed things up and make snap decisions about your life:  if it's real, it's worth taking the time to do it right.
In our case, we visited back and forth for four years before we got married and I moved here.  During that time, we met each others' friends and families, we each learned how the other lived, we planned out where we would live, and how we were going to finance our life in Brazil, both starting out and into the future.  And I already knew the country well, and spoke fluent Portuguese.  You have a long learning curve ahead of you.
So, enjoy the romance, learn all you can about Brazil as soon as you can, try learning the language, and by all means, visit.  Be hopeful, be careful, and whether this turns out to be a vacation romance or something more, you'll at least end up with good memories.

Kevin, it would honestly be better to bring her to the UK, Brazil is great for a holiday, but most Brazilians want to get the hell out and move to a first world country.
Language barrier is extreme and there's no work for foreigners, and in many cases locals. Unless she has a good corporate job with a great salary, or is from a filthy rich family, or unless you have access to unlimited savings and money coming in  each month. At some point you will start running into financial difficulties and it will get tough - I've seen it happen!

You can start really living comfortably here on $2000 dollars a month and up...so if you can sustain yourself with that kind of amount without working then maybe you could consider it.

By comfortable I mean rent a nice apartment, maintain a SIMPLE car, pay your bills. buy a few items of clothing and eat often in fairly good restaurants ....but if you have a taste for expensive things and the high life , big SUVS, the latest iphone and kids in private schools, you starting to look at more like $8000+ .

Please for the love of God don't make the same mistake other have and ended up shacking up in cramped conditions with a girl, her family and defendants, broke and ilving in a rough neighborhood...It happens more often than you think!

What abthree and Steve said is all true. The vacation ends and you are in financial ruins. Have a plan before you make the leap. I've seen the hey I'm here and let's party expats. A month or two later they realize there is very few jobs in Brazil for them and teaching English doesn't cut it here.

Take it easy and truly get to know your lady friend. Great advice from abthree, I know they are pretty here and sweet talking but the alternative motives could be something else.

Also know that if you overstay your tourist visa now there is a penalty. So know the rules and heed them.

Good luck and I hope you enjoy a visit to Brazil!

Thanks for that👍..while i know this would be the biggest decision i would ever make its the prospect of being with someone whos not materialistic and loves life for family,god, and happiness. Not being religous myself i respect her take on life and i myself have never tried to settle down in my own country and have moved from one party to next and woman the same(sorry) but never been happy,and if i had to move to find that then i would..i thank you for comments about going for holiday,getting to know each other more and now understand the importance of learning portugese from day one, so unless i win the lottery sometime soon i am going to have to look at the bigger picture before i make promises i cant keep!..spent most of my life letting women down or not commiting to any,chat to a brazilian girl and that all changes because for once i trust someone..just i know the chances of work with no qualifications is zero..so il buy a lucky dip on lotto tonight and cross my fingers then..thanks for replys as ment alot👍

Thanks mate👍

Is she in Florianopolis?  There are a lot of hippies here....

Yeh..dont fancy being a hippy that much..but cheers😄😉

Hello all,

A new discussion has been created from these several posts for a better interaction on the Brazil forum.

So KD74, are you still thinking about an expatriation and making the great leap ?

We would like to hear more from you  ;)

Alexia
Expat.com Team