AL JAZEERA: Colombia to grant temporary protection to nearly 1m Venezuelans

Venezuelan migrants and asylum seekers in Colombia will be granted protected status for up to 10 years, Colombian President Ivan Duque announced on Monday alongside Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Venezuelans who arrived in Colombia before January 31 will be allowed to remain in the country for a decade under the new rules. Holding protected resident status will also allow migrants to legally work and help them integrate into society.

People coming from Venezuela with protective face masks as a precautionary measure to avoid contracting the novel coronavirus hold their documents on the border at Simon Bolivar International Bridge, in Cucuta, Colombia. Photo: SCHNEYDER MENDOZA/AFP… — People coming from Venezuela with protective face masks as a precautionary measure to avoid contracting the novel coronavirus hold their documents on the border at Simon Bolivar International Bridge, in Cucuta, Colombia. Photo: SCHNEYDER MENDOZA/AFP VIA GETTY