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* Charges against foreigners seen as politically driven

* Pay, lifestyle outweigh legal risks for most expats

* Immigration wave grows with oil boom

CALGARY/RIO DE JANEIRO, March 27(Reuters) - Brazilian criminal charges against energy industry employees over an oil spill have made foreign workers leery of new legal risks, but so far concerns seem to be outweighed by the lure of good-paying jobs and a famously laid-back lifestyle.

The big question among expatriates is whether last week's charges against Chevron Corp (NYSE: CVX - news) , Transocean (NYSE: RIG - news) and 17 of their staff are political grandstanding in a country actively seeking foreign expertise to help develop its newfound oil riches, or a real risk of doing hard time.

"This prosecution is strange. I think people, more than anything, were surprised they've taken it, or appear to want to take it, to this extent. It's really politically driven from what I can see in talking to some of my Brazilian friends," said Tom Rothfels, a Canadian who recently returned to Toronto from a five-month stint in Brazil working with a helicopter company that serves the offshore oil industry.

"But Brazil has always had a bit of an anti-foreigner current underlying much of what they do," he said.

Despite any new risks, Rothfels said he would not hesitate to go back as, like many, he is attracted to the rich culture of Rio de Janeiro, and an ethic that he said stresses hard work, but "at a certain point, it's 'Let's go to the beach.'"

In the past five years, tens of thousands of workers from around the world have flocked to the South American (Frankfurt: A0MLL6 - news) land of samba, in the midst of a boom with the discovery of 50 billion barrels of crude in a deepwater geological zone known as the subsalt. Another 50 billion could be in the offing.

The charges stem from a 3,000-barrel leak in the Frade field in the Campos Basin, 120 km (75 miles) off the coast of Rio de Janeiro state, in November (Stuttgart: A0Z24E - news) . Chevron and Transocean have disputed the charges. The executives were ordered to turn in their passports and some could face prison sentences of 31 years.

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Brazil puts expats on notice with Chevron charges