Cuban immigration to Brazil is the migratory movement of Cuban citizens to the South American nation of Brazil from the Caribbean nation of Cuba. Since the mid-2010s, there has been a significant increase in the flow of Cubans to Brazil resulting from the Cuban exodus caused by the aftermath of the installment of the ongoing communist regime in Cuba. In 2022, around 58,000 Cubans resided in Brazil.[1][4] And by June 2025, Cuban citizens became the top asylum seeking nationality for Brazil, surpassing Venezuelans.[5]
With around 60,000 to 100,000 people, the Cuban community in Brazil has grown to be the third largest Cuban community in the world, being only behind the communities in Spain and the United States. And in front of other major communities such as the one's in Italy and Uruguay.
Cuban communities can be found in all 26 states and the federal district, with the most significant Cuban communities being found in the Southern region of Brazil.[1] With the city of Curitiba in the state of Parana being the most prominent destination for Cuban migrants to Brazil, with around 4,200 Cuban citizens being registered in the city between 2023 and 2024.[1][6] Most Cubans migrate to Brazil via the Northern region by crossing the Guyanese and French Guyanese borders towards Brazilian territory.[7][8]
History
Programa Mais Médicos (2013–2018)
The first major occurrence of Cuban immigration to Brazil was after the creation of the Programa Mais Médicos in 2013 by the then president Dilma Rousseff's government, which brought over 20,000 Cuban doctors to settlements across Brazil who needed medical services.[9][10] This same national program was ended by Jair Bolsonaro's government in 2018, which resulted in the withdrawal of over 8,000 Cuban doctors whom offered services in Brazil.[9]
Beginning of the Cuban exodus to Brazil (2016–2020)
Beginning in 2016, Cuban migration to Brazil began to intensify. Beforehand, Brazil was used by Cuban migrants as a path towards other nations such as the United States, Uruguay, and Chile but such trend changed as many Cuban migrants began to settle instead within Brazilian territory.[11] Approximately 3,743 Cubans entering Brazil between 2016 and mid-2018.[11] With statistics comparing the amount of asylum seeking requests from Cuban citizens in 2015 to 2017 showing that the number of Cubans asking for such status in Brazil went up 352%.[11] These immigrants entered into Brazil through border cities between Guyana and Brazil, especially through the cities of Bonfim in the state of Roraima in Brazilian territory and the city of Lethem in Guyanese territory.[12] Doing so because of the lack of visa requirements for Cuban citizens by the Guyanese government, making Cubans travel to Guyana, cross the country with Guyanese coyotes towards border cities and entering Brazil from there.[11] After crossing, most Cubans then settle in Boa Vista or go out towards other areas of the country especially the Southern region.[11]
Further intensification (2020-present)
Starting in 2020, Cuban migration towards the South American country began to intensify. Driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and the growing socioeconomic problems in Cuba caused by the country's communist government, thousands of Cubans began to request asylum in Brazil. Between 2020 and 2021, the number of Cubans registered in Brazil was over 3,500.[1] Cuban immigrants now primarily entered through various Brazilian border cities such as Pacaraima in Roraima and Oiapoque in Amapa.[5][13] Even more Cubans began to arrive in Brazil between 2022 and 2024 with over 31,000 people arriving within that period.[1] Most of these incoming immigrants from this wave of immigration began to have their destination set for the city of Curitiba, in the South of Brazil.[14] Along with the growing migration, illegal immigration of Cubans to Brazil began to grow.[15] With coyotes smuggling people into the country through various methods especially through the waters of the Oiapoque River that separate Brazil and French Guiana, and is used for such illegal immigration.[16] Making Brazil's "Policia Federal" open up an investigation and conduct operations within the state of Amapa to stop the flow of immigrants through the waters of the river and through land. With the investigation discovering a criminal chain of migrant smugglers, that used trucks and boats to conduct their smugglings.[16]
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