North America has always been one of the top destinations for Brazilians fleeing the country to try to improve their lives, but the favorite United States has been outmatched by neighboring Canada, especially since the election of Donald Trump. The land of deer, bears and cold snaps is receiving more and more requests for permanent residency from Brazilians.

According to data from Statistics Canada, in 2016, the US election year, the number of Brazilians approved with permanent visas in the country was 1,725 ​​and in the following year, that number jumped to 2,760. In April this year, orders already exceeded 1,500.

Canadian immigration policy is quite responsive. The country has more than 60 immigration programs. The largest, Express Entry, is looking for young people with technical training, particularly in health and information technology.

But the interest in Canada may have more to do with US immigration policy. The interest of immigrants from all over the world in this country increased in the year that Donald Trump was elected as the US president.

On the night that the Republican candidate defeated the Democratic candidate, Hilary Clinton, the Canadian immigration website went down.

“The number of asylum seekers in Canada has quadrupled,” said Mariana Chagas, 39, who has lived in the country for ten years and works as a Canadian immigration consultant.

Brazil in the top 30

Brazil is among the countries that have “lost” the most population to Canada, appearing in the Top 30 countries with the most permanent residents between 2010 and 2016.

Currently, the number of Brazilians with permanent visas in the country is 29,315, according to Statistics Canada, the federal government department responsible for producing Canadian population statistics.

There are still large numbers of people leaving Brazil for cities in Canada to study or work temporarily.

Professionally accompanying this movement, Mariana from Brazil demonstrated that, in one year, the number of Brazilians in the country grew by 28%. “When I arrived here in 2008, it was rare to hear people speaking Portuguese on the streets. Nowadays it has become commonplace. You always hear someone speaking Portuguese on the street, in line at the bank or in the supermarket.”

Canada is the eighth safest country in the world

A report released annually by Global Peace Indexwhich is responsible for showing the safest and most dangerous places in the world, ranks Canada as the sixth safest country in the world and this is one of the main reasons why many Brazilians do not want to leave there.

“I want to go through a routine without the fuss and without the fear of being mugged on a street corner or shutting down the lights at night,” says Jenifer Garcia Rossi, 30, a translator and advertising student in Toronto, who has lived in the country for six years. month.

In the same report, Brazil is ranked 106th and therefore Jenifer has no desire to return to the country where she was born. “I thought if I landed in São Paulo today, I would lose my phone in 10 minutes. I am so used to not worrying about walking without hiding my things that I will become an easy target,” said the student.

Daniel Luiz Cruz Azevedo, 28, lived in Canada for three years and is now one of the Brazilians awaiting a response to his application for permanent residency in the country. For him, the biggest difference between Canada and Brazil, apart from security, is the decency of the people.

Daniel, who works in post-production in film and video, said public transportation in Canada is very good and people feel a responsibility to maintain the service. He gives an example: on trains and buses, there is almost no payment verification for passengers and, if someone wants to, they can easily bypass the system. But for Canadians, this makes no sense. Daniel heard from a friend that it didn’t make sense not to pay for the ticket, because without that money, the system wouldn’t work.

“This is a simple and at the same time illustrative example”, says Daniel. “People’s mindset is different and I personally believe that living in a place where you don’t have to keep your guard up all the time is easier and less stressful.”

*Interns at R7 under the supervision of Cristina Charão