Attachments
474.945 VENEZUELAN REFUGEES AND MIGRANTS IN ECUADOR
COUNTRY OVERVIEW
The regularization process in Ecuador reached a crucial phase on April 5, which was the deadline for applying for a VIRTE visa. A total of 248.4K people registered for an appointment, 201.7K received a certificate of temporary permanence, 95.7K VIRTE visas were granted and 72.3K identity cards were delivered. For all those who applied prior to April 5, applications are expected to continue to be processed normally. The Border Monitoring and Profiling System of the GTRM estimated irregular entries and exits to be almost on par for the month of April. Continuing the trend observed in recent past months, most estimated irregular exits occurred through Ecuador's northern border, while monthly departures to the south were lower than in the same period of 2023. Venezuelan refugees and migrants expressed concerns due to the Government of Venezuela’s announcement that it would close its Embassy in Quito and consulates in Quito and Guayaquil (in the context of diplomatic tensions between the Governments of Ecuador and Mexico) leading GTRM partners to anticipate difficulties for the Venezuelan population in Ecuador to obtain and renovate various documents. Meanwhile, on April 1, the Value Added Tax (VAT) increased from 12% to 15%, raising the costs of goods and services for refugees, migrants and host community members alike. Finally, a Consulta Popular took place on April 21, posing 11 questions mainly related to security issues. Preliminary results indicated that the “yes” won on the nine questions related to security, while the “no” won on two questions related to international arbitration and hourly labor contracts.