MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Venezuelans arriving in Peru as of November 1 to be treated “as tourists”

The official underlined that there are over 500,000 Venezuelans presently living in Peru.

Venezuelan citizens arriving in Peru from now on are to be considered “tourists,” Migrations Planning Manager Francisco Ríos explained Thursday after the deadline to apply for temporary residence expired on October 31.

Nevertheless, Venezuelans wishing to stay in Peru will be able to do so, but “through the usual channels” that apply to nationals of any other country, according to Ríos.

The official underlined that there are over 500,000 Venezuelans presently living in Peru. Since the beginning of the Venezuelan exodus in 2015, 25% of the refugees are said to be minors.

Under those circumstances, the Peruvian government had to stop being as generous as in the early days of the exodus and move the deadline for legal immigration from the end of the year to the end of October and toughen other travel requirements such as the need of a passport.

Peru was one of the first countries to offer temporary residency to Venezuelans seeking a better life by land through Colombia and Ecuador.