Brazil’s statutory minimum wage rose to R$ 1,621 per month on 1 January 2026, with Decree 12.797/2025 setting the 6.7 % increase. Because several immigration categories peg their eligibility to multiples of the minimum wage, the knock-on effects were immediate. Labour-Ministry guidelines issued on 5 January require VITEM V local-hire applicants to earn at least twice the new minimum (R$ 3,242), while short-term technical-service visas now demand 1.5 times the floor.([visahq.com](https://www.visahq.com/news/2026-01-09/br/minimum-wage-increase-automatically-raises-salary-floors-for-key-brazil-work-permit-categories/))
HR teams must upload revised figures to the eSocial payroll portal; the system will not auto-adjust legacy contracts. Fragomen has already recorded a 15 % spike in "salary-compliance" RFIs during the first week of January as auditors reject petitions filed in December that quote outdated wages.([visahq.com](https://www.visahq.com/news/2026-01-09/br/minimum-wage-increase-automatically-raises-salary-floors-for-key-brazil-work-permit-categories/))
![Brazil’s 6.7 % minimum-wage hike pushes up salary thresholds for work permits]()
VisaHQ can help companies navigate these abrupt changes. Through its Brazil portal (https://www.visahq.com/brazil/), the service offers real-time guidance on salary benchmarks, auto-generated employment-letter templates and expedited filing options for VITEM V and technical-service visas, ensuring petitions meet the new wage floor before they reach Ministry reviewers.
Global companies with January start dates should issue contract addenda immediately and revisit cost-of-employment models—especially for local-plus assignees whose base pay is pegged to Brazilian labour law and allowances compensate the rest. Budget forecasts may need to absorb higher gross-up costs and social-security contributions.([visahq.com](https://www.visahq.com/news/2026-01-09/br/minimum-wage-increase-automatically-raises-salary-floors-for-key-brazil-work-permit-categories/))
Failure to adjust can derail production timetables in sectors such as automotive and life sciences, where foreign engineers are critical to Just-In-Time lines. Mobility managers are advised to run a quick audit of all active or pending VITEM V, trainee and technical-services files to ensure salary tables, employment letters and tax calculations all reference the new benchmark.([visahq.com](https://www.visahq.com/news/2026-01-09/br/minimum-wage-increase-automatically-raises-salary-floors-for-key-brazil-work-permit-categories/))
HR teams must upload revised figures to the eSocial payroll portal; the system will not auto-adjust legacy contracts. Fragomen has already recorded a 15 % spike in "salary-compliance" RFIs during the first week of January as auditors reject petitions filed in December that quote outdated wages.([visahq.com](https://www.visahq.com/news/2026-01-09/br/minimum-wage-increase-automatically-raises-salary-floors-for-key-brazil-work-permit-categories/))
VisaHQ can help companies navigate these abrupt changes. Through its Brazil portal (https://www.visahq.com/brazil/), the service offers real-time guidance on salary benchmarks, auto-generated employment-letter templates and expedited filing options for VITEM V and technical-service visas, ensuring petitions meet the new wage floor before they reach Ministry reviewers.
Global companies with January start dates should issue contract addenda immediately and revisit cost-of-employment models—especially for local-plus assignees whose base pay is pegged to Brazilian labour law and allowances compensate the rest. Budget forecasts may need to absorb higher gross-up costs and social-security contributions.([visahq.com](https://www.visahq.com/news/2026-01-09/br/minimum-wage-increase-automatically-raises-salary-floors-for-key-brazil-work-permit-categories/))
Failure to adjust can derail production timetables in sectors such as automotive and life sciences, where foreign engineers are critical to Just-In-Time lines. Mobility managers are advised to run a quick audit of all active or pending VITEM V, trainee and technical-services files to ensure salary tables, employment letters and tax calculations all reference the new benchmark.([visahq.com](https://www.visahq.com/news/2026-01-09/br/minimum-wage-increase-automatically-raises-salary-floors-for-key-brazil-work-permit-categories/))
