BOGOTA — The Colombian government announced a new special permit to regularize the immigration status of guardians or legal representatives of more than 270,000 Venezuelan minors, which will allow them to access a Colombian identification document and State social services such as education and health.
With the new rule, which will be published for comments before coming into effect, Colombia seeks to give permission to remain in the territory to adults who did not take advantage of previously granted permits, but who are responsible for minors who did manage to gain access.
“The goal is to protect children and adolescents with this differential approach, because a girl who is in school who does not have her father or whose father is not regular can be subject to many forms of violence, abuse, being alone in the country,” Solángel Ortiz, director of immigration, consular affairs and citizen service at the Foreign Ministry, told the press.
The permit for guardians will have an initial validity of two years, beginning 90 days after the decree comes into effect. Migration Colombia indicated in a statement that, to prove their status as guardians or legal representatives of minors, people must present a Venezuelan birth certificate apostilled for biological parents or, if they are not the parents, a judicial decision issued in Colombia.
The Foreign Ministry indicated that this is a draft decree that is expected to be published this Wednesday for comments.
Colombia is the country in the Latin American region that hosts the most Venezuelans in its territory with more than 2.8 million migrants, according to the latest official figures available. The country has granted an identity document, called a Temporary Protection Permit, to more than 71% of Venezuelan migrants, in a policy implemented three years ago.
Director of Colombia MigrationCarlos Fernando García, indicated that the current government of Gustavo Petro decided to maintain the policy of regularization of the migrant population initiated by former president Iván Duque (2018-2022).
“It will continue, because it cannot be that different governments leave the population in a state of irregularity, because the only thing that guarantees is the promotion of illegal markets,” García added.
Both the head of the immigration authority and a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry indicated that this is the first measure of several that seek to benefit migrants both from Venezuela – which are 98% of migrants – and from other countries, especially Latin American ones.
Source: With information from AP
