Making It There

It is believed that for every Brazilian who makes it big in the United States, 400 others live from day to day just getting enough to survive and maybe save a little at the end of the month.

Émerson Luís

While the majority of Brazilian newcomers to the US are still illegal immigrants who overstay their visa or enter the country through the Mexican border, a new breed of incomers—much better prepared and more affluent—is being noticed. Data from the INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service) show that 70 percent of Brazilians obtaining their green cards nowadays are getting it for professional reasons.

A new study conducted by the New York City administration also shows this same trend. According to the report, 2,761 Brazilians obtained a green card in New York between 1995 and 1996. From these, 27 percent, the biggest concentration, were living in the Upper East Side, a upper scale area of Manhattan where monthly rentals for housing average $5,000.

The number of Brazilians getting the right to live permanently and work in the States is still very small, since according to the Brazilian Consulate in New York estimates, there are 300,000 people from Brazil living in the states of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware and Pennsylvania, the areas covered by that department. Others estimate that for every Brazilian who makes it big on Yankee shores, 400 others live from day to day just getting enough to survive and maybe save a little at the end of the month.

According to a recent article in Veja (Brazil's main weekly news magazine), Brazilians in New York are losing to the competition even in areas they were prevalent until recently, like shoe shining in which they have a small monopoly. One case cited is that of Serbs and Croats, war refugees, who arrive eager to work and to learn English and who are taking Brazilian jobs as waiters. Russians are taking over construction jobs, and Filipino and Russian women are entering the baby-sitting feuds with a vengeance.

As an example of the new upscale Brazilians arriving in town, Veja cites composer and pianist Marcelo Zarvos, 30, who came to New York five years ago and keeps busy composing for the movies and appearing in concerts. "What unites the cultural cauldron of the city is the language," Zarvos says. "He who arrives here without speaking English will be condemned to live in a Brazilian ghetto. In this case, it's better to stay in Brazil."

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