Venezuelan Migrants Given Temporary Status, Allowing Thousands to Work and Live Legally in the U.S.
Venezuelan migrants line up to be vaccinated by Bogota's Mayor health personnel in front of an encampment where jobless and homeless migrants are camping during the coronavirus pandemic on June 12, 2020 in Bogota, Colombia. Around 500 Venezuelan migrants have been camping in poor conditions for 16 days next to the bus station, awaiting for help of local authorities to take a bus to the border area in Cucuta. Venezuelan President announced restrictions for returnees, which can only cross on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and with a limit of 300 people weekly. Guillermo Legaria/Getty Images

The U.S. government is giving hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans the chance to stay and work in the U.S. legally, given the temporary protected status.

One of the commitments that U.S. President Joe Biden made during his campaign was reforms to the immigration system of the country.

On the other hand, borders are facing a surge of migrants after Biden made the promise. Some advocacy groups have also commented on Biden's decision, citing that undocumented travelers are putting a strain on border security, as reported by AFP News report.

Venezuelans' Temporary Status

The TPS granted to Venezuelans will apply to those already living in the United States as of Mar. 8 and will be in effect for 18 months.

This was also one of the promises of Biden during his campaign period for the presidential elections, according to a BBC report.

"It is in times of extraordinary and temporary circumstances like these that the United States steps forward to support eligible Venezuelan nationals already present here, while their home country seeks to right itself out of the current crises," Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was quoted in a report.

Under the new decision, Venezuelans already living in the U.S. will be given 180 days to register. They will be allowed to work and legally remain in the U.S. as long as they meet certain criteria.

Senior officials said an estimated 320,000 Venezuelans would be eligible for the relief and that the application process would cost around $545.

Democratic Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey promoted the TPS designation for Venezuelans, according to a CBS News report.

Menendez said the move sends a powerful message to allies and competitors that the U.S. is once again committed to the cause of democracy.

Venezuelan Migrants

The U.S. is not the only country to have granted Venezuelan migrants legal status.

Last month, Colombia announced that it would grant legal status to approximately 1 million undocumented Venezuelan migrants inside its borders.

This allows them to work legally and access health and education services, according to The Guardian report.

The temporary protection status will last for 10 years.

Filippo Grandi, the head of the UN refugee agency, described the decision as the most important humanitarian move in the region since the 1980s.

Grandi added that it is an example to the region and the rest of the world. Grandi joined Colombia President Iván Duque in the announcement of the decision.

"Migration crises are, by definition, humanitarian crises," Duque was quoted in a report.

Venezuela has been in economic and social turmoil since 2014. This triggered millions of Venezuelans to move to neighboring countries, such as Colombia and other countries in Latin America.

In Venezuela, hyperinflation, power cuts, food shortages are experienced daily by its people.

President Nicolás Maduro has not backed down from his position despite protests calling for his resignation. Security forces around him pushed back dissents.

Over 4 million Venezuelans have fled the country.

WATCH: Biden to offer temporary legal status to thousands of Venezuelan immigrants living in U.S. - from Youtube News