Colombia: The refugee determination system and process (1998)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 July 1999 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | COL32340.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Colombia: The refugee determination system and process (1998), 1 July 1999, COL32340.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ac460.html [accessed 16 October 2022] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The following refugee profile in Colombia is provided by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Website:
Currently, there are 237 recognized refugees [in Colombia] with indefinite residency visas which allow them to work and study. Asylum seekers are given a renewable three-month permit to stay while their application is processed, but they are not allowed to work. UNHCR and a local implementing partner provide legal and material assistance and basic medical and educational help.
Colombia ratified the 1951 Refugee Convention in 1961 and its 1967 Protocol in 1980. In its own 1995 Refugee Act, Colombia incorporated the Cartagena Declaration on Protection of Refugees which goes beyond the 1951 Convention by extending refugee status to persons fleeing generalized violence, foreign aggression, internal conflicts, massive violation of human rights or any other circumstance disturbing public order. Last year the government enacted Law No. 387 aimed at preventing forced displacement as well as protecting and helping people displaced by the violence (July 1998).
According to the World Refugee Survey 1998, of the over 200 refugee claimants in 1997, 75 were from Nicaragua, 35 were from Chile, 30 were from Hungary and 80 were from other countries (1998, 225).
Additional information on the Colombian refugee determination system could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). July 1998. "UNHRC Country Profiles - Colombia."
U.S. Committee for Refugees (USCR). 1998. World Refugee Survey 1998. Washington: Immigration and Refugee Services of America.
Additional Sources Consulted
Amnesty International. 1998. Panama/Colombia: Refugees: The Right to Escape from Death.
Internally Displaced People: A Global Survey. 1998.
Organization of American States (OAS) Website.
Refugee Survey Quarterly [Geneva]. 1998.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). March 1998. Background Paper on Refugees and Asylum Seekers from Colombia.
U.S. Committee for Refugees (USCR). March 1998. Colombia's Silent Crisis: One Million Displaced by Violence.
U.S. Committee for Refugees (USCR) Website.
Electronic Sources: IRB Databases, REFWORLD, LEXIS/NEXIS, Internet and WNC.
