Immigration Processing Disruptions Continue

Government offices will remain closed until March 5, 2014 due to ongoing political demonstrations in Venezuela, especially in the capital city of Caracas. In an effort to deter travel to the country, many Venezuelan consulates have ceased issuing visas but are expected to resume full operations after March 5. Foreign nationals traveling to Venezuela should anticipate additional questioning and long wait times for admission into the country.

Venezuela’s president issued a call for peace and declared a public holiday from February 27 to March 5, 2014.

At this time, there are no reports of other countries closing their consular posts or issuing travel advisories for Venezuela.

What This Means for Employers and Foreign Nationals

Foreign nationals should postpone any upcoming trips to Venezuela, if possible. During the closures, employers should account for delays and suspended processing when planning to relocate foreign workers and to renew their work permits.

Fragomen worked closely with Vivanco & Vivanco (Venezuela) to prepare this alert. It is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].