Venezuelans who entered Colombia until December 3 will be able to apply for a new type of special visa that will allow them to work. A new mechanism from Gustavo Petro’s government to address the high migration to that country of people leaving from Venezuela
The Colombian Foreign Ministry created a new type of visa for Venezuelan migrants. In Resolution 12509 of December 4 of this year, the Colombian government created the “V-Special Visitor” visitor visa category. This new visa has been created to address the growing Venezuelan migration, which has increased again after the July 28 presidential elections that Nicolás Maduro claims to have won.
The new “V-Special Visitor” visa is valid for two years, and will be granted only once, which implies that another visa or other immigration regularity should be sought after it. In addition, it will only apply to the Venezuelan migrant who has entered Colombia until December 3, 2024.
The document explains Weekgrants an open work permit to carry out any lawful activity on one’s own account or through employment or service provision, as well as allowing access to the educational offer, as long as the applicable regulations on the matter are complied with.
Regarding the exercise of regulated professions, the temporary permit of the respective Colombian Professional Council or administrative act of validation of the professional title before the competent authority must be provided, the professional title and the professional card must be duly apostilled.
The special visitor visa does not apply to Venezuelans who are deprived of their liberty, have a deportation or expulsion order, have judicial records, or for those who hold another nationality.
Figures from the Foreign Ministry indicate that between 2017 and August of this year, 68,500 asylum requests have been registered in Colombia. Of them, almost 13,000 were registered in 2023 alone, which implies a 25-fold increase compared to what was reported in 2017.
Currently, the magazine reports Weekthe Ministry of Foreign Affairs receives approximately 1,200 requests each month, and the average time to provide a response is three years. To address this situation, the Foreign Ministry plans a decree to modify the requirements with which it grants asylum, with changes that will come into effect on July 1, 2025.
Since 2017, the Government has tried various mechanisms to regulate the immigration situation of Venezuelans. First it was the Special Permanence Permit (PEP), then the Special Complementary Permanence Permit (PECP) issued in 2019 and later the Special Permanence Permit for the Promotion of Formalization (PEPFF) created in 2020.
Later, with the cessation of diplomatic and consular relations with Venezuela and, as a temporary measure, it was necessary to create a temporary legal protection mechanism, for which the Temporary Protection Statute for Venezuelan Migrants (ETPV) was adopted, composed of the Single Registry of Venezuelan Migrants (RUMV) and the Temporary Protection Permit (PPT), which was implemented by Migración Colombia since 2021. The special visitor visa is added to that of migrant and permanent resident.
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