V'zuelans complain of delay in updating work permits

More than 5,000 Venezuelans with work permits are still waiting for the delivery of the new extension stickers which would expire on December 31.

On Tuesday, the delivery of the fourth batch of stickers to update work permits for Venezuelans issued by the Immigration Division began.

Venezuelans went to the division, on Henry Street, Port of Spain, to get the stickers allow them to remain here legally.

A further batch of 952 stickers have now been issued in addition to three earlier batches, totalling almost 3,000, issued since September.

One applicant, Carlos Martínez, told Newsday on Tuesday he had not been called by immigration yet and he was concerned.

He said he came to immigration to try to get a response about the delay in getting his new sticker.

“The government announced this extension of work permits earlier this year, valid until December 31. We are two months away from the end of the year and still more than half of those who have work permits have not been called for their renewals. It is a very slow and worrying process because many of us need this new document to be able to work.”

In 2019 the government issued 16,523 work permits to Venezuelans. Since then there have been several updates and extensions.

Earlier this year, National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds said some 9,000 Venezuelans were ready to receive the new extension to 2023 and another 4,500 were still being evaluated.

Of the total of 13,500 who were still in TT at the beginning of this year, only around 4,500 have been recalled to collect the new stickers.

Martinez said Immigration officers only told him he must go on waiting.

“It is an incomprehensible process. They give us a work permit that will expire in a few days. This is illogical.”

Martínez says his boss is pressuring him for the new sticker.

“It is a difficult situation because both employers and government officials know there is a legal decree issued by the government regarding the extension of these work permits. But if the card does not have the new sticker they believe that we are here illegaly and that is not the case.”

Martínez called for the government to intervene and expedite the delivery.

“There have been several extensions of the work permit and the same thing happens every year. They give us the extension a few days before it expires.

"This prevents us from carrying out other legal processes such as opening accounts, buying phone numbers or even applying for a visa to travel to Venezuela and return legally.”