Expert: Ken Rapoza Cruz - 8/10/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hello Mr. Cruz. I have been perusing your messages and thought I'd offer up my situation to see if you had any insight.

I too, am a spouse of a Brazilian citizen. We are living in CA at this time. He is from Goiania. Since we met, he has told me he wants to move back to Goiania, permanently.

My question to you is, what advice do you have for expatriate spouses? I have lived overseas before, and visited Brazil a few times. I speak some portuguese, I love the culture, so I am prepared to spend some time there. How viable do you think it is to keep a property in CA (like a condo) and live part-time in each country?
My husband has a business in Brazil so our income albeit lower than that of CA, would not disappear once moving to BR.
I work in CA as a social worker but am thinking about teaching English  in Goiania (I used to be a ESL teacher). I'd actually like to teach @ a university but I have read they don't pay much, or that it's really hard to get a job there for a foreigner. would I be able to get a work visa due to my marital status? or is that related to employers? I think there is a good market for english teachers in Goiania as I don't know too many americans there.

Thanks for any input you have! I appreciate it.


ANSWER: Wellp, if you dont mind moving to Brazil then you should be fine.  But PERMANENTLY? That could cause a marital riff eventually if one of you doesnt like that inflexibility.

It is advisable you keep your property in CA and rent it out so you dont lose it. You can only spend time in both countries if you have a viable self employment income in both nations, or make enough money in CA that can sustain you when you are in Brazil.  For example, some writers have jobs that do not depend on location. Like me. Tho not anymore.

You can teach English in Brazil and at least make enough to pay for food and maybe rent. There are a few private English schools you can go to and seeing you lived in the US, they would love you. Tho, of course, it wont be a cakewalk, so dont expect to get full time employment. YOu might have to teach one or two classes at one school, and then another one or two at another school.

Your marital status entitles you to a "green card": a perm resident visa. Definitely permits you to work. You first have to:

1. Register your marriage at a local "cartorio".
2. Once registered, take that marriage to the immigration department of the local Federal Police.
3. You will pay a fee. I dunno what that fee is anymore. Figure R$200. And youwill instantly get a piece of paper saying you can work, I believe they stamp your passport. Later you will get an ID for perm resident. This could take a few days.



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: thanks for your timely and helpful response. My plan is not soo far off the mark, I think. due to your information about needing viable incomes in both countries, I guess I'd have to either work for myself or just visit America a few times a yr. if I eventually move to BR.
I guess that leaves any income I make in BR to stay in BR? I'm thinking about my (tiny) 401k or any retirement sort of acct. I'm in my 40s now.

My husband said that some 401k-type programs exist and are being created. If they do exist they are probably larger-scale corporations? have you heard about this?

and out of curiosity (but you don't have to answer) why do you say not anymore re: your job on location? are you now permanently based in SP?

thanks again! Christine

Answer
Your income can travel with you, of course. If you are a freelancer and working for a US company, though I dont know how you would do that as a social worker, then you rmoney is your money. You take it with you whereever you want. Same with Brazil income, though why would you want to sell reals for dollars? You will lose money.  Your 401k will just sit there in the US if you are no longer employed for a company. I do not know if you can still contribute to it, tho Im sure you can. If your hsuband is the bread winner and you can make, say, $500 a month in Brazil, you could just put that much money away in your 401k.  If you both have more money, of course you can open an investment account in Brazil. You can just put money in inflation linked or gov bonds and make at least 8% a year on them.  401ks in Brazil probably exist for private corporations, but seeing how you dont have a job working for one, why worry about it? If you worked for Banco do Brasil your pension money would be in Previ, which would probably be just as good as any 401k.

I work full time in Sao Paulo and am no longer a freelancer, so I have to be here to get paid. But nothign is forever.

good luck.

If you want to have one foot in the US, you need:

1) A US family that is lookign out for you, such as parents. When they die, their house is yours.
2) As you are an American, you will want to keep a large chunk of your dollars and investments in the US for any eventual returns. What if you got divorced or hated Brazil after five years living there? You need to have money in the US to turn to.
3)If you have no family looknig out for you, and  your pay is low, you might look into buying a small one or two bedroom condo and rent it when you are away, this way you have a home to come back to in case you both end up broke or hating each other in Goiania.  Nothing is forever!