US Embassy in Cuba will restart visa procedures after five years

The United States embassy in Havana will restart visa procedures for Cubans on Wednesday, January 4, after a pause of more than five years in which the diplomatic mission worked with minimal personnel.

This is the last stage in a reopening that the administration of President Joe Biden started in May 2022after his predecessor Donald Trump closed the embassy in September 2017, due to reports of health incidents suffered by diplomatic personnel, whose cause not yet identified.

The embassy’s essential services were limited to serving US citizens and then, after the partial opening in May, limited processing of emergency nonimmigrant visas.

As of Wednesday, the US mission in Havana will again begin processing all categories of visas, including those for immigrants.

The reopening “is part of the broader expansion of the Embassy’s functions to facilitate diplomatic and civil society participation and provide safe, legal and orderly migration options for Cuban citizens,” advertisement the US State Department in a statement.

High-level delegations from both countries they had met in november to discuss migration and the reopening of the US consulate in Havana. The conversations coincide with one of the biggest exoduses in the recent history of the Caribbean island, embroiled in a serious political and economic crisis.

Procedures in Guyana

Until now, Cubans with family reunification processes had to travel to Georgetown, Guyana, to complete their interviews and medical checkups. This additional step made the process significantly more expensive, since it entailed an additional expense of at least $700 on flights alone.

The United States and Cuba maintain several agreements on the immigration issue. Washington has pledged to provide at least 20,000 visas to Cubans per year, excluding immediate family members of US citizens. For Havana this figure is insufficient.

The Cuban government has continually criticized US immigration policy towards the island, especially the Cuban Adjustment Act, by which any islander who enters legally and remains in the US for at least one year and one day can apply for permanent residence.

However, Havana has been in favor of dialogue, especially after the arrival of Joe Biden at the White House. Biden was vice president of Barack Obama during the “thaw” from 2014 to 2017, in which both countries relaxed their historic enmity.

During his speech before the General Assembly of the United Nations, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, Bruno Rodríguez, described as “a positive step” the resumption of US visa procedures in Havana.

“Cuba reiterates its willingness to move towards a better understanding with the United States government and develop civilized relations and even cooperation between both countries based on mutual respect, sovereign equality and without undermining our independence and sovereignty, despite of deep differences”, assured the foreign minister before the UN.

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