Mariana And José's Shop

Mariana and José came to Ireland together as students from Brazil in 2005. They lived near Dublin for nearly three years, during which time they had three children. Her mother moved to Ireland to help care for the growing family. Unfortunately, Mariana and José were unable to renew their student visas, and found that they were now irregular migrants in Ireland. She and José were able to work short-term jobs, but were not earning enough to support their children. Mariana and José realised that they needed to return to Brazil.

However, they could not afford to pay for the entire family to travel home. They decided to approach IOM to ask for assistance in moving back to Brazil. Mariana and José also needed assistance in organizing travel papers, since their visas had expired. They were relieved to learn that they could apply for the reintegration grant, which meant that they could begin a business for themselves after they returned. Mariana and José used the grant to complete a course together in sales training. Soon after, José secured employment with a wholesale company.

With the remainder of the grant, Mariana and her mother invested in materials for a home-based sales business. They sell crucifixes, soap, cosmetics, and other small items. Between the profit from their business and José’s job, the family is able to support themselves in Brazil.