The Guatemalan Ministry of Foreign Affairs believes that this six-month program will help promote safe, orderly and regular migration, as well as increase access to protection mechanisms.

Migrants move through Chiapas state (Mexico) towards the US on June 9, 2022.

Citizens of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua – countries that are part of the Central American Free Movement Agreement, or CA4 – who want to apply for a visa to the United States can make an appointment online at the Safe Travels office in Guatemala through the website mobilidadsegura.org. Meanwhile, in Costa Rica, the pilot program is only available to Nicaraguan and Venezuelan citizens who have applied for asylum in the Caribbean country.

Guatemala and the United States announced the pilot program on June 1 following a visit by Phil Gordon, national security adviser to US Vice President Kamala Harris. A joint statement from the two countries at the time stated that the program “will facilitate access to legal pathways to the United States and other countries, family reunification, and access to temporary work visas.”

In late April, the US announced the establishment of migrant care centers in Guatemala and Colombia after Title 42 expired on May 11.

According to plan, the "Safe Travel" program will begin piloting in Colombia from June 19.

News and photos: VNA