Starting next Monday (2), the Paraguayan government will hold a joint effort to assist foreigners interested in obtaining residency in the country. The service will be offered in Ciudad del Este, on the border with Foz do Iguaçu (PR), in a context of increased demand from Brazilians for information on how to move to the neighboring nation after the re-election of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), on the 25th.
The initiative, called MigraMóvil, will be carried out by the National Directorate of Migrations (DNM) until November 6, from 8 am to 4 pm. The team will receive requests for temporary and permanent residence, including under the Mercosur agreement, as well as requests for certificates, renewals and extensions of documents. It is the first edition of the collective effort after the second round of the Brazilian election.
Praised by supporters of the defeated candidate Flávio Bolsonaro (PL), Paraguay has been governed since 2023 by right-wing Santiago Peña. More than 263 thousand Brazilians live in Paraguayan territory, which makes the country the third largest Brazilian community abroad, behind only the United States and Portugal, according to the Brazilian government.
In the hours following Lula's victory, searches for "how to live in Paraguay" grew 1,700%, according to data from Google Trends. On social networks, influencers present the neighboring country as an alternative for those looking for lower taxes and a lower cost of living. The joint effort can help determine whether this interest will translate into formal requests for residency.
In March, a single round of the service in Ciudad del Este received 1,487 residency applications, the majority from Brazilians, according to government data. Another edition is scheduled for Pedro Juan Caballero, from November 16th to 20th, also on the border with Brazil.
This year, the country received almost 50,000 residency applications, a record, DNM director Jorge Kronawetter told the Paraguayan newspaper ABC Color. More than 70% of requests were made by Brazilians.
The director attributes the movement to Paraguay's economic situation and states that those interested have varied profiles, from businessmen and entrepreneurs to students. Kronawetter avoided relating the search for residence in his country to the results of the polls and classified as speculative the versions that associate migration with the Brazilian election.
Demand was already high before the election. In 2025, the DNM received 47,687 requests, an increase of 63% compared to the previous year, and granted 40,600 authorizations, according to data from the Paraguayan government. Of this total, 23,526 were destined for Brazilians.
Offices that work with citizenship and migration to other countries also registered an increase in demand after Lula's re-election.
The company España Fácil, specialized in immigration and nationality advice, registered 418 contacts in 24 hours the day after the vote, an increase of 345% compared to an average of 94 per day in the period before the election.
According to the company's own survey, consultations on citizenship and nationality grew the most, with an increase of 743%. Demand for digital nomad visas, intended for remote workers (350%), work visas (273%) and student visas (135%), also increased.
According to Renata Barbalho, CEO and founder of Espanha Fácil, 79% of contacts were from people who had not yet contacted the company; the other 21% already had some relationship with the consultancy. In two days, 55 requests were completed, and the company estimates that new deals will be closed in the following days.
In the United States, law firms specializing in immigration also reported to Folha an increase in demand for Brazilians interested in emigrating.
Piquet Law Firm, one of the best-known in Miami, Florida, received 700 inquiries from potential new clients throughout Monday (26), according to its founder, Alexandre Piquet. In a typical month, the office receives 500 to 600 inquiries.
