Currents and counter-currents from Latin America to Europe: the case of international migration between Brazil, Spain and Portugal in the early 21st century

The crisis started in 2008, in the United States, reaching Europe in 2009, had a direct impact on the labour market in the countries of Southern Europe, especially in sectors that employ immigrant labour, as construction. At the start of a new decade, in 2010, countries that previously had high positive net migration – Portugal and Spain – are experiencing reductions in this amount, until, in early 2011, these balances became negative. Across the Atlantic, the return migration stimulated by the crisis in the countries of Europe, found in Latin America a factor of attraction, due to the reduced impact of the crisis on countries in the region, coupled with the implementation of counter-cyclical policies to maintain employment and income. At the same time, European immigrants, highly qualified, leave in search of better job opportunities and join those who have opted for return, thus forming new flows of people coming to Latin America. Brazil, as an emerging country, becomes an important destination for Europeans, mainly from Spain and Portugal. The proposal of this paper is to study the interaction of these currents and counter-currents, describing the amount of these exchanges, the profile of immigrants, their demands and expectations, and main policy outcomes.