Venezuelan migrants still waiting for in-person interviews

RADHICA DE SILVA

Senior Multimedia Reporter

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Migrants who successfully registered online during the Government’s recently concluded migrant regularisation exercise but were left out of in-person interviews are waiting patiently for dates after receiving assurances from Minister of Homeland Security Roger Alexander that they will be accommodated once proper registration evidence is provided.

Speaking with Guardian Media, coordinator of the La Romaine Migrant Support Group, Angie Ramnarine, said some migrants who completed the online registration process before the May 26 deadline have not yet been contacted with the date, time and location of their interviews.

She said there had been growing concern among some Venezuelan migrants who feared they could face arrest or deportation because they had not been given appointments before the registration exercise closed.

However, Ramnarine said migrants were heartened by Alexander’s reassurance that those migrants who can provide documentation showing they attempted to register but were not given interview appointments will still be processed.

“We appreciate the Minister’s commitment to accommodating those who made every effort to register but have not yet received their interview dates,” Ramnarine said.

According to figures from the Ministry of Homeland Security, 29,624 migrants have been entered into the Government’s database as part of the registration exercise.

The ministry is expected to continue processing applicants who successfully registered online but are still awaiting their in-person interviews.

The extensive registration process for the migrant regularisation exercise officially commenced in January, when the online application portal first opened to the public. Following the initial phase—which closed for online submissions on February 25—the process transitioned into a mandatory, multi-step in-person phase. Throughout March, April, and May, over 26,000 applicants underwent strict security screenings, fingerprinting, and interviews conducted at major national venues, including the Ato Boldon, Hasely Crawford and Larry Gomes stadiums.

Indigenous groups such as the Warao had difficulty accessing computers and documents from Venezuela. However, representatives from the UNICEF Office for the Eastern Caribbean Area, volunteers from the Venezuelan Embassy and La Casita Hispanic Cultural Centre assisted dozens of Warao and Venezuelan nationals with registering for the online phase.