Organisations helping migrants in Brazil: Missão Paz, Cáritas, IMDH and public services

Papers, refugee status, shelter, health care, work: the organisations helping migrants in Brazil, what each does, for whom and where to find it. Plus the Polícia Federal, the Defensoria Pública da União, São Paulo's CRAI and the free numbers to know.

Espero AKPOLI

Founder · Compatri, the social network for diasporas

Information checked on 2 November 2026.

In a medical emergency in Brazil, call 192 (SAMU), free, 24 hours a day. For your papers, a refugee claim, shelter or work, the strongest organisations helping migrants in Brazil are in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Brasília: Missão Paz and Cáritas Arquidiocesana de São Paulo in São Paulo, Cáritas RJ's PARES programme in Rio, and IMDH in Brasília and Boa Vista. On the public side, the Defensoria Pública da União (DPU) defends free of charge those who cannot pay a lawyer, and São Paulo city's CRAI receives every immigrant, whatever their status.

This guide presents these organisations helping migrants in Brazil: what each does, for whom, where, and the link to reach it. It points you in the right direction; it does not give legal advice. Compatri has no link with any of them.

Organisations helping migrants in Brazil at a glance

Organisation	What it does	For whom	Where	Link
Missão Paz	Shelter, free legal help, documents, health, jobs, Portuguese classes	Immigrants, asylum seekers, refugees, stateless people	São Paulo	missaonspaz.org
Cáritas Arquidiocesana de São Paulo (SAOR)	Reception, protection, social guidance, integration, psychological support	Refugees and asylum seekers	São Paulo	caritassp.org.br
Cáritas RJ (PARES)	Lawyers, social workers, Portuguese, jobs (Trampolim platform)	Refugees, asylum seekers, humanitarian visa holders	Rio de Janeiro	caritas-rj.org.br
IMDH	Documents and protection, social assistance, economic inclusion, referral to public services	Migrants, refugees, stateless people, women and children first	Brasília, Boa Vista (Roraima)	migrante.org.br
Defensoria Pública da União (public)	Free legal assistance, including migrants' and refugees' rights	Anyone who cannot pay a lawyer	Offices across the country	dpu.def.br
CRAI Oriana Jara (public, city)	Multilingual guidance: regularisation, social rights, legal orientation, complaints	All immigrants, whatever their status	City of São Paulo, plus a mobile unit	prefeitura.sp.gov.br
Polícia Federal (public)	Residence authorisation, registration, CRNM card, refugee claims	All foreigners who stay	PF offices	gov.br/pf

Opening hours and addresses change, so they are not listed here. Open the organisation's link before you go. Several services work by appointment only (Missão Paz's legal service, for example).

Before a first appointment, gather your passport or any ID, your Brazilian documents (protocol, DPRNM, CRNM, CPF, work card) and proof of address if you have one. That is the list Cáritas RJ asks for. Write down your questions and mention any deadline straight away.

Papers and regularisation: the Polícia Federal and who helps you

In Brazil, the Polícia Federal (PF) registers foreigners and issues the foreigner's identity card, the CRNM (Carteira de Registro Nacional Migratório). According to the official gov.br portal, updated on 1 September 2026, a temporary visa holder has 90 days after entry to register, and a residence authorisation holder 30 days after its publication in the Official Gazette. The form is filled in online, the PF appointment is free, and issuing the card costs 204.77 reais (fee paid by GRU). The PF has a migrants' welcome page in French, Spanish and English, with a nationality selector leading to the steps for each country.

To get support:

Missão Paz (São Paulo) runs a documentation service that supports the regularisation process with the PF from start to finish. Its services are free; only the PF fees remain yours to pay, as the organisation itself states.
Missão Paz's legal service gives free legal guidance and assistance to immigrants, asylum seekers, refugees and stateless people, beyond papers: labour, family and social security law. It tries mediation first, then refers to the DPU if a lawsuit is needed.
CRAI Oriana Jara, a São Paulo city service, gives guidance on regularisation and access to social rights. It received 13,318 immigrants in 2025; the largest nationalities were Angola, Bolivia and Venezuela, then Cuba and Guinea-Bissau. A mobile unit (CRAI Móvel) visits at the request of groups and associations.
The Defensoria Pública da União, a public service, offers legal assistance that is "always free" to those who cannot pay a lawyer; migrants' and refugees' rights are among its fields.
IMDH, in Brasília and Boa Vista, helps with documents and refers people to public services.

Claiming refugee status in Brazil

The refugee claim (refúgio, Brazil's asylum) is made once you are in the country: the Ministry of Justice points out that it cannot be filed from abroad. The official steps are: registration on the Sisconare platform, an online form, then a visit to a PF office with the number you received, for fingerprints and registration. You receive a Protocolo de Refúgio, your identity document during the procedure, to be renewed every year: if it stays expired for more than six months, the case is closed. The ministry states that no fee is charged for registration and the form. An interview (entrevista de elegibilidade) follows, online or in person in São Paulo, Campinas or Rio de Janeiro; missing it without a reason closes the claim. Check Sisconare at least once a month.

Three organisations have supported this process for decades:

Cáritas Arquidiocesana de São Paulo, through its Refugee Reception and Guidance Service (SAOR), a UNHCR partner for more than 35 years. Its March 2025 newspaper describes five pillars: reception, protection (explanations of the refugee procedure and regularisation), social assistance, integration, mental health.
Cáritas RJ's PARES, presented as Brazil's first refugee programme, now 50 years old. Its lawyers answer questions on the refugee procedure, documents, family reunion, travel, regularisation and naturalisation.
IMDH, founded in 1999 in Brasília by the Scalabrinian sisters, with an office in Boa Vista (Roraima) since 2018. It also coordinates RedeMiR, a national network of organisations helping migrants and refugees: its web page lets you find a member organisation by state, useful outside the big cities.

Emergencies, shelter and basic needs

SAMU, 192: medical emergencies, free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from a landline or a mobile.
Disque 100: free reporting of human rights violations, 24 hours a day, anonymously if you wish; also by WhatsApp on (61) 99611-0100, according to the Ministry of Human Rights.
Missão Paz's Casa do Migrante (São Paulo) houses up to 110 people (immigrants, asylum seekers, refugees, stateless people) in separate dormitories for women and men. The stay includes meals, Portuguese classes, psychological support and social follow-up; residents can receive their mail there.
Cáritas São Paulo refers people to the city's shelter network and social programmes, gives basic necessities and refers people for medical consultations.
Cáritas RJ can grant financial help in cases of extreme vulnerability and hands out food parcels when donations allow.

Health

Brazil's public health system is called the SUS. Missão Paz informs migrants about their right to health and access to the SUS, and volunteer professionals see patients there as they are available. Cáritas RJ publishes an explanatory page on health care in Brazil, and Cáritas São Paulo offers psychological support, with referral to partners if treatment is needed.

Work, Portuguese and integration

Missão Paz: Work programme (links with employers), Portuguese classes, training and citizenship.
Cáritas RJ: Portuguese classes for refugees, the Trampolim platform linking refugees and job offers, a jobs fair, explanations on becoming a micro-entrepreneur (MEI) and an information page on slave labour.
Cáritas São Paulo: job-search help, Portuguese and vocational courses, CV help, getting a CPF and a work card.
IMDH: economic and professional inclusion, workshops for migrant and refugee women.

For the order of settling-in steps (housing, bank, phone), see also administrative steps on arrival, where to start.

Beware of scams

A serious organisation never promises a residence permit or a refugee decision. Only the Polícia Federal and Conare decide. The PF appointment is free, and so is the refugee claim: be wary of anyone selling an appointment, a "guaranteed file" or a shortcut. A lawyer in Brazil is registered with the Bar Association (OAB): ask for their number and check it. The organisations in this guide sell no outcome.

Never hand over your passport, keep a copy of every document you give, and sign nothing you do not understand. If an employer keeps your papers or stops you from leaving, call Disque 100. To read further, our guide to avoiding immigration scams describes the same traps in the United States.

Compatri: fellow nationals in Brazil

An organisation handles a file; a community surrounds you. On Compatri, a community brings together a country of origin and a city: São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasília. Diaspora pages lead to yours: Angolans in Brazil, Senegalese in Brazil, Congolese (DRC) in Brazil, Nigerians in Brazil. Those who arrived before you know which PF office gives quick appointments and where to learn Portuguese for free. Read how mutual aid between compatriots works, how to find fellow nationals on arrival, and browse all communities. The directory of diaspora associations mostly lists associations in Belgium for now.

To compare with other countries, see organisations helping migrants in Europe and the Americas, then our guide for Argentina.

Sources

Brazil Independence DaySeptember 7

Help for migrants Settling in Newcomers Mutual aid Integration Diaspora

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Where can migrants find free legal help in Brazil?

In São Paulo, Missão Paz's legal service gives free guidance and assistance, by appointment. In Rio, the lawyers of Cáritas RJ's PARES see refugees and asylum seekers. Across the country, the Defensoria Pública da União, a public service, assists free of charge those who cannot pay a lawyer, including on migrants' and refugees' rights.

How do you get the RNM and the CRNM card in Brazil?

Registration is done with the Polícia Federal: an online form, a free appointment at the office for your place of residence, then collection of the card. According to gov.br, the deadline is 90 days after entry for a temporary visa and 30 days after publication in the Official Gazette for a residence authorisation. Issuing the card costs 204.77 reais.

Does a refugee claim in Brazil cost anything?

No. The Ministry of Justice states that no fee is charged for registering on Sisconare or for the form. The claim is made once in Brazil, then at the Polícia Federal, which issues a Protocolo de Refúgio to be renewed every year. Be wary of anyone who charges you for this step.

Where can you sleep on arrival in São Paulo without housing?

Missão Paz's Casa do Migrante houses up to 110 people (immigrants, asylum seekers, refugees, stateless people), with meals, Portuguese classes and social follow-up. Cáritas São Paulo also refers people to the city's shelter network. Contact them through their website before you go, as places are limited.

Are there associations of Africans in Brazil?

Yes, groups of African immigrants exist, especially in São Paulo, but we could not verify the ones we found on an active official website, so they are not in this guide. The safest route is your community of fellow nationals on Compatri, and the large organisations in this guide, which receive every nationality.