Brazil to grant Haitians humanitarian visa

The Brazilian government decided to give special treatment to Haitians intending to live in Brazil. In a regulation published Monday (Apr. 9), the government stipulates the “concession of a temporary visa and the authorization of a residence permit by way of humanitarian shelter.”

The visa will be issued exclusively by the Brazilian Embassy in Port-au-Prince, capital of Haiti, and is to allow nationals from that country to live in Brazil for two years, which can be turned into an indefinite living permit after that period. The same rules apply for stateless individuals from the country.

As defined by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), stateless people are those with no nationality recognized by any country, which can happen as a result of discrimination against minorities enforced by national legislation, failure to recognize all citizens of a country as nationals when the nation attains independence, or conflicting law among countries.

The decision was made in a bid to work out the details on the enforcement of the Migration Law, brought into effect last year. Brazil’s Foreign Ministry said the new rules “could be opportunely published in the future to address concrete situations.”

The authorities also highlighted that the measure will make it possible for Brazil’s humanitarian policy in Haiti   to be maintained, which includes over 60 thousand visas granted since 2012, in a bid to further help the country rebuild itself.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira