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UNHCR is gearing up to support the regularization of Venezuelan refugees and migrants after Colombia announced in February 2021 it would grant a tenyear Temporary Protection Status (TPS) to the more than 1.74 million Venezuelans in its territory. Colombia is home to by far the largest number of Venezuelans displaced by the socioeconomic and political crisis in their homeland. Nearly 60% are in an irregular situation.
Colombia’s TPS announcement comes as Latin America faces the devastating impact of a second year of COVID-19. The TPS paves the way for effective enjoyment of rights and for solutions. Integration will also boost the development of the communities hosting Venezuelans.
Thanks to the TPS, more than 1.74 million Venezuelans currently in Colombia, as well as those arriving through official border points over the next two years, will have access to identification documents, formal employment and state services, including the COVID-19 vaccination. With better access to education, skills training and income,
Venezuelans will integrate in their communities and will contribute to local development and post COVID-recovery.
The TPS offers unique opportunities to be harnessed now. NHCR has developed a response plan to implement the TPS in collaboration with local and national authorities and humanitarian and development partners. This plan spans the initial phase of outreach and documentation to the longerterm opportunities for inclusion and integration.
Within the framework of the Regional Inter-Agency Coordination Platform, UNHCR already provides Venezuelans with lifesaving assistance and promotes and enhances their access to and enjoyment of rights, such as documentation, education and employment. UNHCR also actively promotes peaceful coexistence with host communities. The implementation of the TPS, however, requires a rapid and significant scale-up of UNHCR’s activities.
There is no time to be lost: the first phase of the TPS starts early May with online pre-registration. UNHCR is already working closely with the Government of Colombia and members of the Interagency Group on Mixed Migration Flows (GIFMM) to enable Venezuelans with specific needs and those residing in hard-toreach or conflict-affected areas to have the necessary information and access to pre-register. The second phase of TPS – individual in-person biometric registration – will begin in August. During the third phase of the TPS, Colombia will issue identity documents, reaching a target of 800,000 Venezuelans by the end of 2021.