I have been looking into moving to Brazil for about a month, and I have about 15 possibilities for employment that each sound OK, but each possibility also has at least one significant, real barrier. I have spoken with friends and gotten a range of answers that sound like, “That is great, but…” everything from, “I hope you like suffering,” to “you could teach English, but you would work 12 hours per day for almost no money.”
Those answers are daunting, but there has to be a way.
The visa is probably the biggest question. There are two requirements:
- The residence permit issued by …who? Who issues this?
- The work visa is administered by the Ministry of Labor and Work. An investment visa would also work.
After reading the rules, it appears that what the government is promoting is for foreigners to start a business that creates jobs for Brazilians. It is nearly impossible for a foreigner to get a work permit, but an investment visa is much easier. I prefer to ‘swim with the current,’ so I am leaning toward the investment visa option. For an investment visa, I have to start a business in Brazil.
The best way to learn how to start a business in Brazil, fortunately, is to do something that I want to do anyway: get an MBA.
Therefore, my top questions right now are:
- What is the best source of information about work, investment, and student visas?
- What is the best source of information about residence permits?
- What are the best MBA programs in Brazil?
Where are the Americans in Brazil? Where are the foreigners in Brazil? Do I have to hire a lawyer? What information can I find while I am here in the states?
My top lead so far is that the University of Pittsburgh Katz School of Business runs an MBA program in São Paulo.
