To apply for asylum in Venezuela, you can get it at the border, airport, or a local migration agency. You can present evidence that identifies you and supports your case. Each adult individual in your family usually has to make an asylum application. In some countries, you also have a short screening interview.
For people seeking details on how to apply for asylum in Venezuela, UNHCR has set up a website for help. Click here to get help. Also, you can get help at:
You can look for emails and addresses by clicking on the list above.
Most websites or apps linked below are in Spanish. Use Google Translate, Tarjimly, or any other translation service if you need it.
Who can apply for asylum in Venezuela
Can apply for asylum any person who:
-
Fear persecution based on ethnicity, social group, gender, race, religion, nationality, or political beliefs; you can’t get protection from your home country because you’re outside.
-
You had to leave your country or current residence because your safety, freedom, or life was at risk due to widespread violence, foreign aggression or occupation, terrorism, internal conflicts, massive human rights violations, or any other severe disruption of public order.
Also, read How to Seek asylum for Venezuelans.
A brief overview of who the refugees are
People who are considered refugees are people who have been forced to leave their place of origin or permanent residence for:
-
Fear of retaliation due to one’s beliefs, race, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, or other identifiers,
-
Or due to the widespread violence, foreign aggression, internal disputes, enormous violation of human rights, or other situations that gravely disrupted public order and posed a danger to his life, security, or freedom.
Who is not eligible for refugee status
Those who:
- Have committed a serious crime
- Had committed a crime outside the asylum country before being welcomed as refugees.
- Commit violations of the charter and purposes of the United Nations.
How to get asylum in Venezuela
To apply for asylum in Venezuela, you can get it at the border, airport, or a local migration agency. First, you can contact:
-
National Commission for Refugees (CONARE) in Caracas, Guasdualito, San Cristóbal, Maracaibo, or Ciudad Guayana, and submit your request.
-
Also, you can reach out to organizations like the Ombudsman, UNHCR, HIAS, RET, NRC, or SJR for help with the process.
Check the website here.
The next step is waiting for an answer.
After CONARE gets your application, they must give you a temporary document that says you are trying to become a refugee. This paper lets you stay in Venezuela legally until CONARE makes a decision about whether or not to recognize your position as a refugee.
Recognition of refugee status
If CONARE agrees that you are a refugee, you will get authorization that gives you the same rights as other outsiders in Venezuela. This document will let you work and move around anywhere in the country.
What happens if the asylum request is rejected
If your application for refugee status is denied, you have 15 days to appeal to CONARE; if you do, your provisional document will be extended until the appeal is resolved.
Asylum seekers in Venezuela: The rights
As a Venezuelan refugee, what are your rights?
-
Refugees in Venezuela have the same rights as other foreign residents, with some limitations based on the country’s laws and Constitution.
-
Not suffering penalties for illegal entrance.
-
Gain access to the refugee assessment procedure.
-
Not be treated differently because of their race, gender, religion, political views, or where they come from.
-
Having respect for the family.
-
Religious and associational freedoms.
-
Access to the legal system, health care, education, and employment.
Check the Decree of the National Assembly of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
When your rights are violated
When:
- You were turned away at the border because you need international protection.
- To be deported back to one’s home country.
- When you are denied the right to get the protection papers you need, to participate in the process by which your refugee status is determined, to access justice, healthcare, an education, or a job.
Responsibilities
- Respect the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela’s Constitution and all applicable laws.
- Do not interfere in political or other situations threatening Venezuela’s internal and foreign interests.
- If you move anywhere inside the country, you have to notify CONARE.
As a requirement for asylum in Venezuela, all applicants must provide truthful information. By failing to provide material facts about your case, you may be considered responsible for fraud in line with UNHCR’s internal regulations.
Sources: UNHCR Help Venezuela
The cover image is in Maracay, Venezuela. Photo by Jorge Saavedra on Unsplash.
Leave a Reply