Colombia Makes 'Historic' Decision to Grant Legal Status to 1.7 Million Venezuelan Migrants
Source: NY Times
BOGOTÁ, Colombia — President Iván Duque of Colombia announced Monday that his government will provide temporary legal status to the more than 1.7 million Venezuelan migrants who have fled to Colombia in recent years, a far-reaching move that will allow the migrants to work legally and establish lives out of the shadows.
The decision was hailed by the head of the U.N. Refugee Agency, Filippo Grandi, as “historic” and “the most important humanitarian gesture” in the region in decades.
The decision will allow Venezuelan migrants who register with the Colombian government to stay in the country for 10 years.
More than half the 1.7 million Venezuelans in the country do not currently have legal status. Under the new measure, those who entered Colombia without permission before Jan. 31 are eligible for legalization. And those who already have legal status will now be free, for at least a decade, from having to reapply for permission to stay.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/08/world/americas/colombia-venezuela-migrants-duque.html?fbclid=IwAR071QHhK2g2J6hg1nMI6EI-ObfJnIRXREkxvxR_3Q7WqG85JWoZo0McB1A
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