Colombia grants legal status to Venezuelan migrants

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COLOMBIA, 9 February 2021 (TON): President Ivan Duque stated that Colombia decides to give protected status to almost one million undocumented Venezuelan migrant residents in the country.

He added that the move will allow them to normalize into life in Colombia as it protection will last 10 years.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi praised the decision and said more than five million people have fled Venezuela since 2015, with Colombia taking in the greatest share.

At a joint news conference on Monday, he described it as a "historic gesture" and "emblematic for the region, even for the whole world".

Some 1.7m Venezuelans are thought to have arrived in Colombia but more than half are without legal status.

This move has facilitated the migrants to work, seek permanent residency and get access to health services.

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