Santiago – How do Venezuelans who arrive in Chile reach the country and what do they do there? Those are some of the questions addressed through the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), published last week (12 October) by the UN Migration Agency (IOM).

The DTM in Chile surveyed 462 Venezuelans at the Offices of the Department of Immigration of the Ministry of the Interior this past summer between July 18 and 31.

"Through the DTM results, we seek to provide periodic and updated information on the trends, profiles and needs of the Venezuelan population that has recently arrived in Chile, to support the decision-making of the Chilean government," IOM Chile Chief of Mission Norberto Girón said during the presentation of the report.

Here are the main findings of the report:

The routes of Venezuelans arriving in Chile

According to the DTM, the largest component of Venezuelans surveyed began their trip in Venezuela’s Capital District (26 per cent) or the State of Zulia (14 per cent). Another factor: 45 per cent of Venezuelans made their trip by air, while 53 per cent travelled by land. Of the total number of respondents, 98.7 per cent crossed through an official border and 49 per cent made the journey alone, without family members.

The Venezuelans interviewed stated that they had spent an average of USD 554 per person to reach Chile.

When asked about the time they plan to stay in Chile, 34 per cent of the respondents answered "indefinitely", 34 per cent said they still do not know and 4 per cent said their stay will be less than one year; 28 per cent of the respondents preferred not to answer.

Regarding their migratory status, 44 per cent of the Venezuelans interviewed had a tourist visa at the time of the survey, 11 per cent had a work visa and 2 per cent a Democratic Responsibility Visa, a Chilean document that is issued to would-be migrants by Chilean authorities before those migrants leave Venezuela.  Sixteen per cent of those interviewed did not have a regular migratory status and 26 per cent declared having another type migratory status, such as a visa in process.

Employment situation

The Venezuelan population interviewed is characterized by having high academic qualifications, with 63 per cent of those responding calling themselves professionals. When asked about their employment situation in Venezuela, the respondents stated that they performed mostly in the categories of "scientific and intellectual professionals," or "service workers and salespersons" or "mid-level technicians and professionals."

In Chile 51.2 per cent work in retail services or as sellers in shops and markets, while 17 per cent are employed in more menial occupations. "The large presence of Venezuelans in the groups of services and occupations reveals a change in the labour status of the country of origin in relation to their academic credentials (degrees) and a precarious labour insertion, marked by over-qualification," explains the DTM report.

Among these workers, the average salary in Chile is CLP 387,103 (approximately USD 569), with a standard deviation of CLP 287,682 (USD 423). Fifteen per cent of them earn more than CLP 552,000 (USD 812) per month.

The survey also reveals that for the Venezuelan community, it is important to receive support for the necessary documentation for the visa process and the generation of income as well as employment.

According to the most recent IOM report, as of September 2018, the number of Venezuelans in Chile is 105,756. The total population of Venezuelans living outside of their country is estimated at 2,648,509, of which 1,848,581 reside in South American countries, according to the report.

The DTM activity in Chile has been funded by the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration from the United States Department of State.

Download the full DTM report:
https://bit.ly/2PwYGDd

For more information please contact José Estay, IOM Chile, Tel. + (56) 2 2963 3710, Email: jestay@iom.int