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Give Me Your Tired and Your Poor: Impact of a Large-Scale Amnesty Program for Undocumented Refugees

Author

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  • Dany Bahar
  • Ana María Ibáñez
  • Sandra V. Rozo

Abstract

Between 2014 and 2020 over 1.8 million refugees fled from Venezuela to Colombia as a result of a humanitarian crisis, many of them without a regular migratory status. We study the short- to medium-term labor market impacts in Colombia of the Permiso Temporal de Permanencia program, the largest migratory amnesty program offered to undocumented migrants in a developing country in modern history. The program granted regular migratory status and work permits to nearly half a million undocumented Venezuelan migrants in Colombia in August 2018. To identify the effects of the program, we match confidential administrative data on the location of undocumented migrants with department-monthly data from household surveys and compare labor outcomes in departments that were granted different average time windows to register for the amnesty online, before and after the program roll-out. We are only able to distinguish negative albeit negligible effects of the program on the formal employment of Colombian workers. These effects are predominantly concentrated in highly educated and in female workers.

Suggested Citation

  • Dany Bahar & Ana María Ibáñez & Sandra V. Rozo, 2020. "Give Me Your Tired and Your Poor: Impact of a Large-Scale Amnesty Program for Undocumented Refugees," CESifo Working Paper Series 8601, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_8601
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    Cited by:

    1. Shamsuddin, Mrittika & Acosta, Pablo A. & Schwengber, Rovane Battaglin & Fix, Jedediah & Pirani, Nikolas, 2022. "The Labor Market Impacts of Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants in Brazil," IZA Discussion Papers 15384, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
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    3. Carlo Lombardo & Julian Martinez-Correa & Leonardo Peñaloza-Pacheco & Leonardo Gasparini, 2020. "The distributional effect of a massive exodus in Latin America and the role of downgrading and regularization," CEDLAS, Working Papers 0290, CEDLAS, Universidad Nacional de La Plata.
    4. Ibáñez,Ana María & Rozo Villarraga,Sandra Viviana & Bahar,Dany, 2021. "Empowering Migrant Women : Impacts of Amnesties on Crime Reports," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9833, The World Bank.
    5. Michael A Clemens, 2022. "The economic and fiscal effects on the United States from reduced numbers of refugees and asylum seekers [Refugees without Assistance: English-language Attainment and Economic Outcomes in the Early," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press, vol. 38(3), pages 449-486.
    6. Joan Monràs & Javier Vázquez-Grenno & Ferran Elias, 2020. "Understanding the effects of granting work permits to undocumented immigrants," Economics Working Papers 1762, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra.
    7. Murat Demirci & Murat Guray Kirdar, 2021. "The Labor Market Integration of Syrian Refugees in Turkey," Koç University-TUSIAD Economic Research Forum Working Papers 2124, Koc University-TUSIAD Economic Research Forum.
    8. Leonardo Peñaloza-Pacheco, 2022. "Living with the neighbors: the effect of Venezuelan forced migration on the labor market in Colombia," Journal for Labour Market Research, Springer;Institute for Employment Research/ Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), vol. 56(1), pages 1-32, December.
    9. Andrea Otero-Cortés & Ana María Tribín-Uribe & Tatiana Mojica-Urueña, 2022. "The Heterogeneous Labor Market Effects of the Venezuelan Exodus on Female Workers: Evidence from Colombia," Documentos de Trabajo Sobre Economía Regional y Urbana 020623, Banco de la República - Economía Regional.
    10. Santamaria, J., 2022. "‘When a Stranger Shall Sojourn with Thee': The Impact of the Venezuelan Exodus on Colombian Labor Markets," Documentos de trabajo - Alianza EFI 020046, Alianza EFI.
    11. Shamsuddin,Mrittika & Acosta,Pablo Ariel & Battaglin Schwengber,Rovane & Fix,Jedediah Rooney & Pirani,Nikolas, 2021. "Economic and Fiscal Impacts of Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants in Brazil," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9797, The World Bank.
    12. Chatruc,Marisol Rodriguez & Rozo Villarraga,Sandra Viviana, 2022. "Discrimination Toward Migrants During Crises," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10091, The World Bank.
    13. Ibanez, Ana Maria & Rozo, Sandra V. & Bahar, Dany, 2020. "Empowering Migrants: Impacts of a Migrant's Amnesty on Crime Reports," IZA Discussion Papers 13889, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    14. Aksoy,Cevat Giray & Ginn,Thomas Clinton, 2022. "Attitudes and Policies toward Refugees : Evidence from Low- and Middle-Income Countries," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9985, The World Bank.
    15. Castillo Robayo, Cristian & Prieto-Bustos, William & Campo-Robledo, Jacobo, 2021. "Impacto de la migración sobre el empleo y la distribución salarial en Colombia [Impact of migration on employment and wage distribution in Colombia]," MPRA Paper 106697, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    16. Shamsuddin,Mrittika & Acosta,Pablo Ariel & Battaglin Schwengber,Rovane & Fix,Jedediah Rooney & Pirani,Nikolas, 2021. "Integration of Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants in Brazil," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9605, The World Bank.
    17. Hanbyul Ryu & Jayash Paudel, 2022. "Refugee Inflow and Labor Market Outcomes in Brazil: Evidence from the Venezuelan Exodus," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 48(1), pages 75-96, March.
    18. Claudio Deiana & Ludovica Giua & Roberto Nisticò, 2021. "Getting Off on the Wrong Foot: The Long-Term Effects of Missing a Large-Scale Amnesty for Immigrant Workers," CSEF Working Papers 625, Centre for Studies in Economics and Finance (CSEF), University of Naples, Italy.
    19. Cynthia Boruchowicz & Cesar Martinelli & Susan W. Parker, 2021. "Economic Consequences of Mass Migration: The Venezuelan Exodus in Peru," Working Papers 1080, George Mason University, Interdisciplinary Center for Economic Science.
    20. Carlo Lombardo & Leonardo Peñaloza-Pacheco, 2021. "Exports “brother-boost”: the trade-creation and skill-upgrading effect of Venezuelan forced migration on Colombian manufacturing firms," CEDLAS, Working Papers 0283, CEDLAS, Universidad Nacional de La Plata.
    21. Deiana, Claudio & Giua, Ludovica & Nistico, Roberto, 2022. "Legalization and Long-Term Outcomes of Immigrant Workers," IZA Discussion Papers 15189, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    22. Gallagher,Allen William Andrew & Ruiz,Isabel & Vargas Silva,Carlos Ivan, 2022. "Policy Preferences in Response to Large Migration Inflows," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10055, The World Bank.
    23. Ibanez, Ana Maria & Moya, Andres & Ortega, María Adelaida & Rozo, Sandra V. & Urbina, Maria José, 2022. "Life Out of the Shadows: Impacts of Amnesties in the Lives of Migrants," IZA Discussion Papers 15049, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    24. Blanco,Christian & Meneses,Francisco Jalles & Villamizar-Chaparro,Mateo, 2022. "Why Student Aid Matters ? Roadblocks to the Transition into Higher Education forForced Migrants in Chile," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10104, The World Bank.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    migration; work permit; labor markets; amnesties;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F22 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Migration
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
    • R23 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population

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