Brazil extends special visa program for Syrian refugees
Date
9/22/2015 8:36:56 AM
(MENAFN- The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) A special visa program for Syrian nationals will be extended for another two years Brazil's National Committee for Refugees said Monday.
Before the program was introduced on humanitarian grounds in 2013 Syrians had to fulfill the same visa requirements as other nationalities including evidence of a permanent job sufficient financial conditions and a return ticket.
Syrian visa applicants now need prove only that they belong to a "nationality affected by the Syrian conflict" using a basic form of identification.
The visa program will run until September 2017.
Beto Vasconcelos the president of the Refugee Committee or Conare said the move would "facilitate access to these visas" amid a "deterioration of the humanitarian situation" in Syria.
Since September 2013 7752 visas have been issued to those meeting the criteria the vast majority through embassies in Lebanon Jordan and Turkey.
Due to security concerns Brazil closed its diplomatic mission in Damascus in 2012 meaning most Syrians have turned to Brazilian embassies and consulates in Beirut Amman and Istanbul.
Vasconcelos said some "may have chosen a different country or may not have been able to travel yet which explains the difference in numbers."
Brazil officially has 8530 refugees with authorized asylum status as is the biggest destination for Syrian refugees in Latin America. To date the South American nation has granted asylum to 2097 Syrians fleeing conflict in their homeland.
Conare also said Monday that it had authorized partnerships between the Ministry of External Relations and specialist international organizations involved with the refugee situation on the ground such as the UN's refugee agency in order to improve efficiency and expedite cases.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said in a message recorded for Brazil's Independence Day on Sept. 7 that the country would welcome refugees with "open arms" despite the political and economic crises currently rattling the country.
She said those "expelled from their countries" could come to "work and contribute to Brazil's prosperity and peace".
Many Syrians have settled in the south and southeast of Brazil particularly in the country's largest city Sao Paulo where thriving Syrian and Lebanese communities were established after a wave of migration from Arab countries around the turn of the 20th century.
By Ben Tavener
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