Colombia is offering work permits to Venezuelans who migrated to the country.

More than 1.6 million Venezuelans are now living in Colombia and according to the UN Refugee Agency almost 60% of them lack a regular status.

The UN predicts the number of Venezuelans could rise to 2.4 million by the end of this year.

To bring these migrants into the legal economy, Colombia is offering them work permits. The first kind of permit is a renewal of the PEP visa, which applies to migrants who entered the country before November 29th, 2019.

The second visa, known as the PEPFF visa, will be given to Venezuelans with formal job offers. 

With these permits, Venezuelan migrants will gain access to healthcare and education.

Luis Carlos Gomez is one of those migrants. He migrated to Colombia in search of opportunity. As Venezuela experiences an economic crisis, the value of the local currency has plummeted, so Gomez made the decision to leave. He is trying to gain legal status in Colombia but doesn't know if the work permits offered will work for him. Gomez shares his story with CGTN's Michelle Begue.