Brazilian immigrants newly arrived in Portugal, some with less than a month in the country, have asked consulates and social solidarity associations for help to make their way back. With inflation at its highest level in more than 30 years and a record high in property prices, the cost of living in the European country is rapidly eating away at the savings of new residents.
The movement has been so expressive that the Brazilian consulate in Lisbon has posted on their social networks to highlight that "it has registered a significant increase in requests for repatriation" by those who claim "to be unable to afford the costs of returning to Brazil". The representation recalls that "it has no legal competence or budget allocation to pay for repatriation flights".
The main alternative, in this case, is the Voluntary Return and Reintegration Support Program of the IOM (International Organization for Migration), linked to the UN. Brazilians account for more than 90% of those assisted in Portugal.
Among the 243 people that IOM has already supported by buying a ticket back to Brazil in 2022, 67% had been in Portugal for a year or less and 91% were living in an irregular situation.
Translated by Cassy Dias