SÃO PAULO, Brazil -- Every year, species leave their natural habitat and move in the pursuit of survival. Just like birds, fish and other animals, humans also migrate in search of something new.
Hundreds of Brazilians are leaving their tropical country and heading to the cold lands of Canada, hoping for a better life. They organize through blogs, social networking communities like Orkut and e-mail lists, where they can discuss the pros and cons of the immigration process, as well as exchange information about Canadian life.
The francophone province of Quebec is one of the most attractive to Brazilians. A popular destination for immigrants, Canada encourages skilled workers who are willing to learn a new language – either English or French – and embrace a new lifestyle.
Emigrants leaving dozens of countries all over the world choose to become Canadian citizens. According to a 2001 census, the foreign-born make up 18 percent of Canada’s population, one of the highest proportions of immigrants recorded there.
The francophone province of Quebec is one of the most attractive to Brazilians. In a recent interview, Immigration Minister Yolande James said that 55,000 immigrants are expected to be admitted to the province in 2010.
Unlike the U.S. regime, with a regimented immigration and lottery green card system, Canada has an agile and transparent process. It applies criteria of age, education and professional experience, according to the Ministry of Immigration and Cultural Communities of Quebec (MICC): “It is possible to immigrate to Quebec with a Permanent Residence Visa, which allows you to live and work legally, with almost the totality of the rights of Canadian citizens.”
In the last 10 years, about 10,000 Brazilians have immigrated to Canada. (Go here to download a PDF with the specific numbers.) Brazil ranks among the top five countries in the Americas represented by permanent residents in Canada.
 Graph by Thiago Mattos/TheSequitur.com
Toronto, Ontario still stands out, however, with a larger share of Canada’s immigrant population. Gean Oliveira immigrated to Toronto in 2003. Oliveira, as many Brazilian residents in Canada, keeps a blog where he shares his experiences, helping other new and potential immigrants.
“Many want a standard recipe to come and live in Canada, and then they forget to do their homework, which is to research,” he said in an e-mail interview.
Ingrid Lins isn’t among the uneducated. “I have spent several months on the Internet evaluating what people have talked about,” said Lins, who plans to immigrate to Montreal with her husband in 2011. “It seemed like a reality show. Following the blogs was thrilling because they talk about the same stuff I’ll probably experience.”
But immigrants must be careful with what they are reading online, said Soraia Tandel, a Brazilian who went to study in Canada in 1994 and stayed permanently.
[I]mmigrants must be careful with what they are reading online...Tandel now works for the Quebec government as an immigration manager, traveling in Latin America, promoting immigration and giving speeches on the subject. This is how she orients new immigrant candidates.
“I guess there’s a relevant part of these blogs, which helps a lot with tips about accommodations, integration,” Tandel said during a speech in March. “The ones who have been through the experience show the way to the new immigrant . . . But also there’s a lot of misinformation. It is important to sift through.”
The Internet performs a fundamental role in the immigration process today, whether it’s facilitating contacts with friends and family or providing necessary information about life in a new country. But the tools available on the Web were unimaginable to those who went through the same process less than a decade ago.
The Internet transforms immigration into a less isolated process and is particularly embraced by Brazilians. Going to live in another country has become less of an adventure and more of an educated transition. Yet, it remains a challenge, and, when moving to Canada, a cold one at that.
[Orkut, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Montreal Gazette, MICC, CIC2, HowToLiveInCanada.com, Front page image courtesy of Flickr's "Phineas H"]
Thiago Mattos, a TheSequitur.com Editorial Board member-at-large and journalism student in Brazil, writes about Brazilian and world issues in his blog, Sangue de Barata.
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