Rio de Janeiro: Brazil may have to change its immigration policy to deal with the country`s influx of immigrants, Brazil`s Defense Minister Celso Amorim said Friday.
Brazil`s growing prosperity makes it more attractive to immigrants and the country must adapt to this new reality, said Amorim.
"People used to want to leave Brazil, but now Brazil is better, and people want to come here. Naturally, we must learn how to act in face of this new situation," he said.
Since 2009, the number of foreigners living in Brazil has increased 50 percent to 1.46 million. The requests for permanent resident visas and naturalization have doubled from 2008 to 2010, reported Xinhua.
The number of Haitian immigrants, for example, has increased significantly. About 4,000 undocumented Haitians are now living in Brazil`s northern region. Earlier this week, the government has decided to grant them work visas.
Also, security at Brazil`s northern borders will be tightened to prevent more illegal immigrants from entering the country.
IANS
