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Accelerated movement of Chinese workers to Brazil exposes a new phase of the national industry, raises debates about local jobs, and transforms entire cities in Bahia
The advancement of Chinese companies in Brazil has ceased to be merely economic and has begun to have direct impacts on the labor market, the real estate sector, and even the routine of entire cities. While millions of Brazilians still face unemployment, low income, and difficulty in professional relocation, more than a thousand Chinese workers have started arriving monthly in the country to work on industrial projects mainly related to the electric automotive sector.
According to information published by Folha de S.Paulo on Friday, May 23, 2026, the Chinese already represent 38% of all work visas granted to foreigners in Brazil just in the first quarter of this year. The movement occurs amid the aggressive expansion of Asian giants like BYD and GWM, which are accelerating billion-dollar investments in Brazilian territory.
The numbers reveal a historic change in the profile of labor immigration in the country. In 2023, the monthly average of authorizations for Chinese workers was only 270 records. In 2024, this volume more than doubled, reaching 625. By 2025, the average jumped to 844 visas per month. Now, since June 2025, Brazil has been registering more than a thousand monthly authorizations for Chinese citizens.
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In the first quarter of 2026, 3,193 visas were granted to Chinese within a universe of 8,232 permits issued by the Ministry of Justice for foreigners.
Bahia becomes a symbol of the new Chinese industry in Brazil
The most visible transformation happens in Camaçari, Bahia. The city of approximately 300,000 inhabitants has become a strategic piece in the expansion plan of the Chinese automotive industry after receiving the BYD megafactory, a global leader in electrified vehicles.
More than half of the Chinese expatriates who arrived in Brazil this year landed in the state of Bahia. BYD itself accounts for about one-third of all labor records involving Chinese.
From the beginning of 2025 until May 2026, about 2,700 Chinese employees of the automaker received authorization to work in the country.
According to Alexandre Baldy, vice president of BYD in Brazil, most of these professionals remain temporarily in the country to train Brazilian teams and transfer industrial technology.
“Brazil needed to build an industry that practically did not exist. The structure left by Ford did not meet the new production model,” the executive told Folha.
A large part of the authorizations is valid for one year. Even so, the company states that many workers stay between 90 and 120 days before returning to China.
Besides BYD, companies that hired the most Chinese workers during the period include Falcão Engenharia, XCMG Brasil, Engenova Construções, and the automaker GWM.
The two construction companies are directly involved in the works of the BYD industrial complex in Camaçari.
Economic growth boosts real estate, hotels, and local commerce
The economic impact caused by the arrival of foreign workers is already starting to completely change the dynamics of the Bahian city.
With the increase in the Chinese presence, hotels have seen a rise in occupancy, real estate has become more sought after, and neighborhoods near the factory have begun to experience rapid appreciation.
Real estate agent Jorge Carvalho, who works in Camaçari, states that expatriates usually look for residences close to the industrial complex.
Additionally, a new residential complex with 600 apartments is being built just 3.5 kilometers from the factory to accommodate Chinese workers and employees coming from other Brazilian regions.
The change represents a turnaround for the city, which suffered a severe economic crisis after the closure of the Ford factory in 2021. At the time, thousands of jobs were terminated, causing chain impacts on commerce and the service sector.
Now, BYD estimates reaching the end of 2026 with 10,000 employees in Brazil. According to the company, at most 3% will be Chinese.
Debate grows over jobs for Brazilians and labor complaints
Despite economic growth, the presence of foreign workers has also started to generate tension among some local workers.
Last Tuesday, May 19, unionists organized a picket at one of the BYD-related construction sites amid demands for better wages and working conditions. Among Bahian workers, there were criticisms about a possible preference for hiring Chinese for certain roles.
The issue gained even more attention after the Ministry of Labor rescued, in December 2024, 163 workers in conditions considered analogous to slavery in works related to the Chinese automaker.
Subsequently, BYD and two subcontracted companies signed a R$ 40 million agreement with the MPT to end the public civil action.
Alexandre Baldy stated that the workers were linked to service providers and declared that the company collaborated to resolve the case, including accommodation and the return of professionals to China.
Meanwhile, content went viral on social media fueling rumors about an alleged “Chinese city” in Camaçari. Many posts exaggerated the number of foreigners and spread false information about the residential project.
For Júlio Bonfim, president of the Metalworkers’ Union of Camaçari, part of the criticism has a xenophobic character.
“When Ford came to Bahia, there were Americans, Canadians, and Mexicans working here, and nobody talked about it,” he stated.
According to him, most of the Chinese occupy administrative and specialized technical positions, while Brazilians continue to dominate the production lines.
Specialized technicians lead the arrival of foreigners to the country
Data from Obmigra, an agency linked to the Ministry of Justice, shows that the Chinese authorized to work in Brazil mainly operate as assembly operators, industrial maintenance technicians, mechanics, and specialists in production systems.
The numbers also reveal that 47% have higher education, while 32% completed high school.
São Paulo appears as the second state with the largest presence of Chinese workers. In addition to corporate offices located in the Berrini area, the São Paulo capital also concentrates operations of GWM, which inaugurated its Brazilian factory in 2026.
According to Ricardo Bastos, director of institutional affairs at the company, about 9% of the 1,800 employees of the automaker in Brazil are Chinese.
“The arrival of these professionals is linked to specific technical demands and the expansion phase of the company’s activities,” he explained.
In the Berrini business area, the growing presence of expatriates is already driving a network of services aimed at the Chinese public, including typical restaurants, specialized markets, and establishments adapted to the new consumer profile.
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