Colombia’s migration agency has said it will give legal status to up to 540,000 Venezuelan migrants who are guardians to minors residing in the country. Colombia has been a destination of choice for millions of Venezuelans seeking to escape the political and economic turmoil of their homeland, while others have used the Andean country as a stepping stone onwards to other nations. More than 2.8 million Venezuelan migrants currently live there, and the measure will benefit adults taking care of some 270,000 minors who have permission to live there. The agency’s director said, ‘It's a special permission to stay, like the previous ones, which fundamentally seeks to integrate guardians, those people who have responsibility for minors who have a temporary protection permit and who live in Colombia’. In 2021, the then government said it would give ten-year legal status to Venezuelans living in Colombia, an offer taken up by many migrants.