Repatriated Venezuelans lose registration

ANY Venezuelan who is repatriated, even if they were registered with Government, will have to apply for a visa and get exemptions and permissions if they wish to return to this country, National Security Minister Stuart Young said on Tuesday.

Young, at a press conference, reminded reporters that after Venezuelans were registered in June 2018, government approved a policy that would require any Venezuelan entering TT to have a visa. “That is the applicable law,” he said.

He also highlighted the decision on March 22 last year,to close TT’s borders due to the pandemic.

“I put that contextual background to let it be known at the outset that this re-registration exercise is not an opportunity for any people who illegally entered into TT or people who don’t have visas to be here in TT, to come forth and register now,” Young said.

The re-registration process would allow Venezuelan migrants to work and live in TT legally for another six months. Asked whether there was any thought toward extending the time in which they were allowed to stay in the country legally or making these registered Venezuelans permanent, Young said only in special circumstances would the registration process lead to permanent status.

“There may be independent circumstances, where some Venezuelans go on to get married and put in an application for permanent residency. but that too is a process.

"And it’s not just because you applied you are given the permanent residency.

“Anyone who came in under this registration scheme, the time won’t allow you to fall into any categories which would trigger that (permanent residence).

“At this time this is the government’s policy we are doing it (registering Venezuelans) in a six-month cycle. Maybe later we will take a different position but at this stage we continue to maintain a six month cycle. It is what we are going with.”

Young said several Venezuelans have opted to leave the country. Last Friday, 96 Venezuelans – 82 adults and 14 children – left for their homeland on a flight organised by the Venezuelan government. Some other Venezuelans had their cards cancelled, either because they committed a crime and will be deported or because they asked to return home.

While he could not give an exact figure of how many people were either repatriated or deported, he said the number was in the hundreds.