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Regional Information Card for Venezuelan migrants approved
Guyanese representatives have agreed to the creation of a Regional Information Card for Venezuelan migrants after their participation in a two-day Technical Meeting on the Quito Process.
Legal Officer, Frontiers Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ms. Dianna Khan (left) and Officer-in-Charge of Ports of Entry, Immigration Department of the Guyana Police Force, Assistant Superintendent, Ms. Jeanette Prince at the Department of Citizenship.
This was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina on September 17 and 18, 2019.
Legal Officer, Frontiers Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ms. Dianna Khan and Officer-in-Charge of Ports of Entry, Immigration Department of the Guyana Police Force, Assistant Superintendent, Ms. Jeanette Prince participated in this meeting.
During a Multi-agency Coordinating Committee Meeting on Monday, Ms. Prince addressed the influx of Venezuelan migrants into Guyana, the statement said.
It added that the information listed on the card will assist in the effective integration of the migrants into the country they enter.
She also said that the name of the card will be changed from Regional Mobility Card to Regional Information Card.
“Based on the fruitful discussions coming out of the working group, we realised that the card is not meant to be a travel card, it is not meant to replace any visas as it relates to the country’s acceptance of the Venezuelan citizens, but it is an information card,” she said.
According to the statement, Ms. Prince pointed out that migrants will have to sign a consent form to grant the placement of health records and information pertaining to their educational background on the card. She further explained that the recording of health records is essential, since most of the time migrants receive the necessary vaccines in one country.
“If this information is on the card, it means that when they enter another country, we will be eliminating that case of duplication. It means that that person will not have to be vaccinated again in that country because we will know and we will have this card.”
The card will be compatible for background checks of migrants against the EU security system and Interpol, the statement noted.
The statement included that Ms. Prince informed the committee that a draft document concerning the card is likely to be tabled at an upcoming meeting to be held in Bogota, Columbia at the end of the year.
Ms. Khan later added that the inclusion of a tax identification number on the card and a regional agreement to facilitate this were also discussed.
The two Guyanese were among Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Immigration officials representing several Latin American countries. Also present at the meeting were officials from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The Quito Process focuses on a coordinated regional response to Venezuelan displacement. It is a multilateral initiative of several Latin American countries that aims to harmonize domestic policies in receiving countries.
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