"This is excellent news and I congratulate President Obama for this important initiative," Peruvian Foreign Minister Rafael Roncagliolo told Andina.

The minister said he hoped the move "will be the start of more favorable immigration policies."

"I think it's a historic decision and a success from the standpoint of migrants' rights, especially because it favors the Latino population," he added.

Roncagliolo said the Peruvian consulates in the U.S. will support those who benefit from the new policy, under which people younger than 30 who came to the United States before the age of 16, pose no criminal or security threat, and were successful students or served in the military can get a two-year deferral from deportation.

Roncagliolo also announced that the Peruvian government is currently encouraging the voluntary return of migrants, especially those who reside in European countries that face a severe economic crisis, Spain in particular.

(END) MDV/CCR/RZZ/EEP