MIAMI — In his 16 years living in the United States, José Antonio Colina, a former Venezuelan military officer living in South Florida, did not get married, have children, or collect too many belongings.

“I own a minimal number of things, so that the moment I can, I can leave without any impediments,” he said. “When there is a new president in Venezuela, and the conditions exist, I will be back there the next day.”

For the first time since he fled his home country in 2003 after turning against Venezuela’s former government, Mr. Colina, 44, thinks that day could be coming soon.

Venezuela is in the throes of a political crisis that has for the first time in years offered some hope to the tens of thousands of people from that country who have migrated to the United States — a number that has nearly doubled since 2010. The United States is now home to more than 300,000 Venezuelans, and the numbers seeking asylum have been soaring.