COLOMBIA PROMISES TO LEGALIZE VENEZUELAN MIGRANTS

President Ivan Duque said Colombia will give about a million Venezuelan undocumented migrants temporary protection status in the country, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) reported.

About 1 million of more than 1.7 million Venezuelans in Colombia are undocumented, Duque said. The new 10-year protection status will allow the migrants to legalize their status and give more stability to some 800,000 Venezuelans already registered in the country who have had to regularly apply for permits to stay.

The decision was announced following a working meeting with UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.

"This bold humanitarian gesture serves as an example for the region and the rest of the world," Grandi said.

"It is a life-changing gesture for the 1.7 million displaced Venezuelans who will now benefit from added protection, security and stability while they are away from home."

The new status will provide Venezuelan migrants access to basic services including the national health system and COVID-19 vaccination plans, as well as allowing access to the job market, a joint statement read.

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