Researchers partnered with IPA Colombia and the Ministry of Labor of Colombia to assess the impacts of an employment-based regularization program on Venezuelan refugees and migrants and local firms, focusing on employment, financial, social, and well-being. 

Ongoing crises in the home countries of forcibly displaced populations frequently make it challenging for them to return, prompting host countries to develop programs for economic and social integration. In Colombia, the government is actively registering over 2 million displaced Venezuelans, with a key focus on granting them access to formal employment and regular status. 

Building on the Special Stay Permits (PEP)—which an IPA study found to enhance employment, welfare, and resilience among Venezuelans—the Colombian government launched the Special Permanence Permit to Promote Formalization (PEPFF). This permit represents Colombia's first employment-based regularization initiative. Eligible Venezuelans employed by a local business and approved for PEPFF gain access to national benefits like social security and healthcare.  

UNHCR researchers partnered with IPA Colombia and Colombia’s Ministry of Labor to evaluate the impact of the PEPFF program on Venezuelans and local employers, measuring various employment, financial, social, and well-being indicators. To do this, researchers compared Venezuelans who applied and were approved for PEPFF with rejected applicants. For local employers, researchers compared employers who had at least one sponsored Venezuelan accepted to PEPFF with firms that were unable to obtain the PEPFF for any Venezuelan.

Final results will be available in mid-late 2024.

Funding and Research Partner