MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Yet another group of Ukrainian refugees makes it to Brazil

A humanitarian visa in Brazil is valid for 180 days, after which its recipients are entitled to temporary residence for two years and then to permanent residence.

A group of 47 Ukrainian refugees has arrived in Brazil Saturday after being assisted by the South American country's Embassy in Warsaw with travel documents and notes to Polish authorities, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE) announced.

The refugees, who also had the support of the Consulate General in Frankfurt, where a flight connection was made, have landed at Guarulhos Airport, in São Paulo.

A resolution from both the Foreign and Justice Ministries granted the Ukrainians a temporary visa and residence permit for humanitarian reasons after they were displaced from their homes in the war-torn country.

However, migrations authorities have explained “Ukrainians who arrive in Brazil without a visa can apply for a residence permit at Federal Police stations,” according to Agencia Brasil. Ukrainian citizens may stay up to 90 days in Brazil without a visa, while a humanitarian visa is valid for 180 days, after which its recipients are entitled to temporary residence for two years and then to permanent residence.

Temporary humanitarian visas may be granted to Ukrainians and stateless people affected or displaced by the armed conflict in Ukraine. According to the United Nations, more than three million people have fled Ukraine since the beginning of the war. Of the total number of refugees, almost half are children.

Up until mid-March, Brazil had welcomed 894 Ukrainians since the start of the war, according to Federal Police sources.

Two million Ukrainians are also wandering inside their own country but away from their homes to protect themselves from Russian shelling. For those who left the country, their main destination was Poland, which accounts for about 60% of the total influx, followed by Romania and Slovakia.

Europe has not experienced such a rapid influx of refugees since World War II.