The new humanitarian program for Venezuelans, announced by the Biden administration last week, will start to be implemented this October 18 through the portal of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which will receive applications for the allocation of 24,000 permits.
According to Blas Núñez-Neto, in charge of border policy at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the U.S. authorities plan to start the registration process on Tuesday morning.
The regulation that will benefit Venezuelan migrants, similar to the one applied to Ukrainian migration, will allow them to settle and work in the U.S. for two years, as long as they have a sponsor in that country who can support them financially or with lodging and they meet the rest of the requirements.
The U.S. Embassy in Venezuela published the steps to follow to apply for a place in the program, in which the mandatory requirement of having a valid passport is highlighted.
However, Núñez-Neto indicated in an interview with La Voz de América that expired passports will also be contemplated, under the exception applied by this country, of up to 5 years of expiration.
He also stated that no visa would be required.
He clarified that the sponsors could be U.S. citizens, legal permanent residents, or those granted asylum or Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
The process is free of charge, so no payment will be requested from either the applicant or the sponsor, who must present an endorsement confirming the support.
After the Citizenship and Immigration Service has approved the sponsor, the biometric, biographic, national security, and public safety investigation will begin to continue with the procedure.
The embassy also explained that the applicant must have a complete vaccination schedule and other health requirements.
Upon completion of the evaluation, the applicant will be informed of the decision on their application via e-mail. If approved, they must travel to the United States by air.
The process can be quick, according to the U.S. official referencing the program for Ukrainians. There are even applications that could be resolved in a week or less.
The program was created to discourage mass migration across U.S. borders from Mexico, which between October 2021 and October 2022, recorded an increase of 180,000 encounters between Venezuelans and border agents, almost four times more than in previous periods.
Citizens who will not be eligible have crossed the U.S. border without authorization between ports of entry or have entered Panama or Mexico irregularly after the announcement.
If they have entered before, they can apply online from wherever they are.
“Stay where you are, don’t try to cross,” insisted Núñez-Neto, in a call with journalists two days after the immigration regulations were made official.
The border policymaker referred to the Title 42 rule instituted in the pandemic era to stop the spread of covid-19, which supersedes the right to asylum.
Since the announcement, Mexico’s border cities have collapsed with the return of Venezuelans protesting their entry into the United States.
They claim they arrived at the crossing before the announcement, and Mexican migration has turned them back.
Many do not wish to return to the starting point, hoping to find a new immigration opportunity in the United States.
To date, more than 7 million Venezuelans have fled Venezuela as a result of the socio-economic crisis.
With information from Bloomberg