Cuban immigrants will now be able to process their visas from Havana.
In 2023, visa processing for Cubans will again be allowed from the U.S. embassy in Havana, in order to discourage illegal immigration from the Central American country.
In the past year, Cuban immigration flows to the United States have reached an unprecedented record, complicating the situation at the border and hindering the proper functioning of immigration processing.
This means that starting early next year, Cuban immigrants with family petitions to enter the country will no longer need to travel to Guyana to be interviewed by US consular officials, which was previously a mandatory step to obtain a visa. Now, the entire process, including interviews, can be conducted at the US embassy in Havana.
At Jaskot Law, we will inform you about what is happening with Cuban immigrants in the United States and why these modifications have been made. Keep reading to learn more!
Why were visas for Cubans supposed to be processed in the U.S.?
The new announcements from President Joe Biden are aimed at reversing a measure imposed in 2017 by former President Donald Trump, which halted visa processing for Cuban immigrants and required mandatory interviews to be conducted in the United States.
At the beginning of 2022, visa processing for Cubans was resumed, but this final step regarding interviews was still pending.
What are Biden’s new measures?
The Department of State (DOS) announced that in addition to the new set of policies implemented for Cuban immigrants, another major change is that social workers will be sent from the U.S. to Cuba with the objective of expediting applications for the family reunification parole program..
This program had also been eliminated during the Trump Era, and over the summer was revived by the Biden administration. It was put into effect in 2007, and its goal was to allow U.S. citizens and permanent residents who successfully sponsored their relatives in Cuba for an immigration visa to also request that their relatives enter the country before their visas become available.
Both the DOS and the administration announced to the press that the main objectives of these new changes for Cuban immigration to the United States are to promote safe and orderly immigration.
Why have these policies been implemented?
These new policies are a result of the immense migration flow from Cuba. During this fiscal year 2022, nearly 200,000 Cubans were processed by U.S. border officials, representing an increase of over 400% since 2021, according to government data.
The Cuban government, like those of Venezuela and Nicaragua, has not accepted deportations from the United States. This means that many Cuban immigrants who entered the country without documents are being placed on parole while awaiting their political asylum processing.
That is how Cuban immigration continues to grow in the United States, causing concerns for both governments, which held migration talks earlier this year to reach political agreements on how to address it. This series of measures is a step towards controlling the excessive situation at the border and ensuring protection for migrants as well.
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