Maximum Age for Children to Qualify for Immigration Benefits Lowered

Effective March 20, 2014, children over the age of 18 will no longer qualify for immigration benefits as dependents under any Brazilian immigration program, with a limited exception for university students. Step-children and minors under legal guardianship also will qualify for dependent status, an option that currently applies only on a limited case-by-case basis.

Children, step-children and minors under legal guardianship may be considered for dependent status up to their twenty-fifth birthday if they are enrolled in a university or graduate school program and their country of nationality makes similar concessions for Brazilian nationals.

Currently, Brazilian citizens can sponsor a dependent child for a family reunion visa up to his or her twenty-second birthday, and foreign temporary workers may be accompanied or later joined by a child under the age of 22.

What This Means for Employers

Companies should determine if any of the employees they intend to relocate to Brazil in the next few months wish to be accompanied by dependent children between the ages of 18 and 22 and submit applications on behalf of those employees and their dependents as soon as possible.

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].