Ghanaian fans apply as refugees in Brazil

As many as 178 Ghanaians holding tourist visas to watch the 2014 World Cup have applied for asylum in Brazil with the Federal Police (PF) in Caxias do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, since July 3.

Noerci da Silva Melo, head of the Federal Police station in Caxias do Sul, estimates that more than a thousand Ghanaians should apply to stay in Brazil permanently after the World Cup is over. They have been drawn to the mountainous region of the state, the Serra Gaúcha, lured by prospects of employment. As they arrive, they take shelter in churches and get support from local politicians.

“The Serra Gaúcha is widely perceived as an area with plenty of job opportunities, but [the local market] is now saturated. A lot of Haitians and Senegalese can be seen now around the city center selling watches and bootleg CDs. They were drawn by the local reputation of a thriving job market,” the police chief told Agência Brasil.

Since the World Cup began, Melo reported, the number of asylum applications has grown substantially. “We have focused our efforts on meeting [the demands] and giving them [the foreigners] legal stay permits. But now we'll have to limit our service targets. We have been able to provide [those who came to us] with special service standards, but this is no longer possible. Now we are only dealing with 20 applications a day. We had been dealing with a much larger number before, some 65 a day,” the police chief said. With asylum applications, Ghanaians are eligible to apply for work permits and find jobs in the country.

According to the law that established the National Committee for Refugees (Conare), foreigners entering Brazil can express their wish to apply as refugees to any immigration authority in the border. The authority must then file all legal proceedings and submit the application to Conare. There are no specific deadlines for completion of the process.

The Foreign Ministry clarified that all visas issued free of charge under the General World Cup Bill were granted only to foreigners who have provided proof of purchasing the tickets for the matches. These visas are valid for 90 days and entrance in the country is only allowed until the final day of the competition.

*With additional reporting by Danilo Macedo

Translated by Mayra Borges