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The new Brasilian - why are we swapping the heat of the tropics for the cold of London?

Why many Brasilians are swapping the heat of the tropics for the cold of London, and how the growing ex-pat community is taking shape in the UK

Marcelo de Lima da Silva’s tales of life in London pretty much sum up the experience of the Brasilian diaspora in the British capital. He came over initially to stay for a few months, learn English and immerse himself in other cultures; five years have
passed since then, and he’s still here.

Marcelo fell in love with the city but felt challenged by the difficulties he encountered. Today, married to a British woman and working as a restaurant manager, he’s made London his home, and Brasil has become something of a holiday destination. “It’s not easy deciding to stay, but your life improves bit by bit. When you finally establish yourself you stop and think: is it worth going back? I ended up deciding not to”. Marcelo’s not the only one; many Brasilians who come over as tourists have gone on to become residents.

The majority arrived before 2005, when Brasilian tourists were still able to renew their visas and apply for student status. In general, these people earned citizenship after having lived in the country for five years, or because they have European passports (due to their ancestry or through marriage), or they stay over here here illegally.

Not even the British government knows how many Brasilians are living in the UK. The UK Brasilian Association (Abras) - a voluntary organisation set up to aid members of the community - calculated that there are 130,000 Brasilians living in London (and 200,000 throughout the UK). Official figures don’t pass the 8,000 mark (15,000 in the UK), which represents a mere 0.11% of the foreign population living in the capital.

The government’s statistics don’t include holders of EU passports or illegal immigrants. But these groups are all included in Abras’ calculations. The president of the association, Carlos Mellinger, believes that 65% of the Brasilians living in London are over here illegally. The problem is that there’s no way of knowing the exact number of immigrants in the UK. Once their passport has been stamped, the individual in question can get on with their life and the Home Office no longer has control.

But what leads so many Brasilians to swap the sunny tropics for the European cold? “Brasil has opened up internationally and is looking for opportunities elsewhere”, say the Advisory Minister of the Brasilian Embassy in London, Laudemar Gonçalves de Aguiar. It also helps that it’s become much more difficult to obtain a visa for the USA.

Unlike America, the UK authorities don’t issue visas for tourists, which makes the country a good option for Brasilians. English is the most widely spoken language in the world and the US authorities are clamping down on immigration. Obviously English is spoken over here and, even with tougher messures by the Home Office, it’s still relatively easy to get into the country (not mentioning the fact that it’s not a bad idea to try and earn in pounds, given that sterling is twice as strong as the dollar).

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