“ CRISOL DE RAZAS ” EXTRAORDINARY MIGRATION REGULARIZATION PROCESS

1. “CRISOL DE RAZAS” EXTRAORDINARY MIGRATION REGULARIZATION PROCESS Regional Seminar on Integration Policies for Migrants, Refugees, and Returned Migrants San José, Costa Rica February 2012

2. LEGAL FRAMEWORK • ACT 3, FEBRUARY 22, 2008, ARTICLE 6, PARAGRAPH 2: ROLES OF SNM • “To organize, direct, record, supervise, and provide immigration services to foreign nationals and to ensure an effective control of their stay in the country within the stipulations of this Decree-Law”. • EXECUTIVE DECREE 320, AUGUST 6, 2008, ARTICLE 171: • The Director of the National Immigration Service may authorize immigration procedures to legalize eligible foreign nationals for humanitarian reasons and in exceptional cases.

3. OBJECTIVE • To regularize irregular foreign nationals observing the criteria of: • Security • To identify the number of irregular persons • Legal status through the biometrics system • Human Rights Protection • To avoid labour exploitation and abusive treatment • Government Policy • Pay taxes and thus, have access to social security • Work permit

4. PROCEDURE • PRESIDENT’S MANDATE • THE DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL IMMIGRATION SERVICE SIGNS A JUSTIFIED RESOLUTION • PUBLICATION IN THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER • DISSEMINATION THROUGH THE MEDIA

5. REQUIREMENTS • HAVING STAYED IN AN IRREGULAR MANNER IN THE COUNTRY FOR AT LEAST ONE YEAR, AND NOT HAVING LEFT THE COUNTRY FOR MORE THAN 6 MONTHS DURING THAT YEAR; • NO PENDING PROCEDURES BEFORE THE NATIONAL IMMIGRATION SERVICE; • APPEARING IN PERSON; • SUBMITTING THE REQUESTED DOCUMENTS AND FORMS; • MAKING THE REQUIRED PAYMENT.

6. STATISTICAL DATA • 8 EXTRAORDINARY REGULARIZATIONS • 17,557 FOREIGN NATIONALS REGULARIZED • COLOMBIA IS THE COUNTRY WITH THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF NATIONALS REGULARIZED IN PANAMA: 9,156 • NICARAGUA IS SECOND: 4,031 • THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC IS THIRD: 882

7. THANK YOU Lic. Síngara García Carrillo International Affairs National Immigration Service sgarcia@minseg.gob.pa