Influx of Venezuelan Immigrants to Colombia

•In Colombian society, Venezuelans have made a name for themselves in the fields of art, music, and even television, and this influx of immigrants has its roots in the dismissal of workers in the petroleum industry in Venezuela.
•Semana.com calls the reason for the first wave of immigrants the P factor. Hugo Chávez dismissed 18,000 employees of the oil industry leading them to come to Colombia.
•In fact, three large Venezuelan oil companies, Pacific Rubiales, Alange, and Vectra, came to Colombia due to the creation of the Agencia Nacional de Hidrocarburos which attracted investors.
•The favorable results that the oil workers and companies experienced in Colombia lead others such as members of the Venezuelan upper class to immigrate as well to Colombia.
•Cosmetics, clothing, food, and car companies (among others) from Venezuela have either come or are planning to come to Colombia.
•So far in 2011, the issuing of foreign ID residence cards to Venezuelans has risen to 230 a week. In 2004, there were only 2 ID residence cards issued weekly. Read Article