Transnational mobility: Life story of a skilled immigrant from the democratic Republic of Congo in Brazil

It presents the reports of a qualified immigrant from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in Brazil, with the objectives of constructing the immigrant's life story, treating the immigration theme from a socio-environmental perspective and presenting the factors that enable the adaptation and integration of the same to the new community. The methodologies used were Oral History and Life History, which were able to present the interviewee's narrative about his life and the migratory process, relating them to the researcher's understanding of the story told in the light of related bibliography. Semi-structured interviews were recorded, which were later transcribed and transformed into documents for the construction of the immigrant's life history. The document produced through the interviews was treated using Content Analysis, which enabled the perception of categories, which were analyzed in the results. The discussion revolved around the family configuration in the DRC, the social structure and group formation in the country, the social interaction of a citizen of the world, the trajectories and networks of contacts of the immigrant, and the codes, postures and institutionsthat are important in the migratory process. The conclusions reached were that poverty and lack of opportunities are the main causes of skilled immigration; whereas family and cultural structures are important elements in the construction of the immigrant's identity; that academic and religious institutions and immigrant associations play a significant role in the cultural adaptation and integration of foreigners, due to theproduction of social capital, and that socio-environmental elements can produce topophilia in relation to the new country chosen to reside temporarily or permanently.