According to the latest report on migration in the world of International Organization for Migration (IOM) of the United Nations (UN), 1 million 216 thousand 248 Peruvians left the country for the United States (435,868), Chile (240,273), Spain (226,473), Argentina (197,226) and Italy (116,408), until 2020.
It was also known that, until that moment, Peru had received more citizens from Venezuela (941,889), the United States (41,292), China (31,931), Bolivia (28.165) and Argentina (26,854), compared to other nations, which shows that within Latin America there is a preponderance of choosing a destination within the same region.
On the other hand, the IOM indicates that Peru has the highest numbers of asylum seekers in the American subcontinent, followed by Mexico, Brazil and Costa Rica.
Another section of the report is dedicated to the situation of the Venezuelan migrants. The international organization highlights that millions of citizens continue to experience the impact of having left their homeland.
At the end of March 2023, more than seven million individuals from this country were registered with the status of refugees and displaced people, all over the world. The vast majority, approximately six million, are found in other Latin American countries.
In that sense, by May of that year, it was estimated that Colombia had received 2.5 million people, the largest amount, Peru 1.5 million, Ecuador close to 500 thousand, while Chili and Brazil They had more than 400 thousand.
It is also highlighted that by December 2022, Peru had granted humanitarian residence to 79 thousand Venezuelans seeking asylum and temporary residence permits to almost 225 thousand who were in an irregular immigration situation.
In the first six months of 2023, Peru experienced a marked increase in the number of citizens who choose to emigrate to seek better opportunities abroad, according to data from the National Immigration Superintendence and of National Institute of Statistics and Informatics (INEI).
During this period, it was recorded that 415,393 Peruvians left the country, a figure that exceeds the trends observed in previous years, which reflects a significant change in migratory behavior after the COVID-19 Pandemic.
The research, carried out by the Institute of Peruvian Studies (IEP), It stands out that of this large number of citizens, 219,693 are women and 195,700 men. Furthermore, the majority are people of productive age.
The testimonies of Peruvians living in Italy, United States and Spain They reveal a constant characteristic in their stories: they left the country to aspire to better working and living conditions. Despite the challenges, including in many cases the absence of work permits, these individuals have found it difficult to survive and support their families in Peru, although with no plans to return in the short term.
“In terms of employment issues, I have been lucky to have a contact who has advocated for me, which has allowed me to find a job unlike other people. I have realized that, whether for Peruvians or people of other nationalities, getting a job abroad is not easy,” a compatriot told Infobae Peru.
On the other hand, migratory pressure is not unidirectional. Peru It has also recently become a destination for citizens of Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombiaand other Latin American countries.
Given this context, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) pointed out the country as one of the main host countries for Venezuelans in need of international protection, with more than 1.5 million registered until June 2023.
