Amendments to the Migration Law

By Maury Lobo de Athayde and Isadora Varella.

On October 8, 2025, Decree 12,657/2025 was published, establishing the National Policy on Migration, Refugees, and Statelessness and amending Decree 9.199/2017, which regulates the Migration Law (13,445/17).

Based on the Decree, foreigners who come to Brazil to provide technical assistance or technology transfer services resulting from a contract, cooperation agreement, or convention signed between a foreign legal entity and a Brazilian legal entity can now perform these services solely on a business visa, provided the visa beneficiary does not engage in any remunerated work in the country and the activity performed does not exceed the permitted period of the temporary visa (up to 180 days per year).

Residence permits for work without an employment relationship in Brazil, to provide technical assistance services, and/or technology transfer remain in effect when the migrant needs to remain in Brazil for more than 180 days per year.

The Decree also established the National Plan for Migration, Refugees, and Statelessness, coordinating the responsibilities of the ministries involved in migration policies with the goal of welcoming vulnerable individuals and promoting immigrant participation in the labor market.

This bulletin is for information purposes only and should not be relied upon to obtain legal advice on any of the topics covered here. For additional information, please contact the leaders of the Labor Team.