After almost 4 years of being suspended due to the conflicts that occurred with the Embassy of the United States in Cuba back in 2018, last May, the United States announced the resumption of operations of the Cuban Family Reunification Permit (CFRP), originally established in 2007.
On its website, the US Embassy in Cuba recently announced the resumption of consular processing on the island, allowing for the performance of interviews for citizens involved in family reunification processes in the United States.
Due to the resumption of consular processing and the resumption of temporary stay permits (Parole), Opapaleo is providing a summary on the main benefits of this programme for Cuban citizens who are interested in being reunited with their family in the United States, and some tips to find out whether you and your family can be eligible for this programme.
Created in 2007, the CFRP allows certain eligible US citizens and lawful permanent residents to apply for an entry permit for their relatives in Cuba. According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the requirements to be considered as eligible citizens are:
- Being a US citizen or lawful permanent resident (LPR);
- Having an approved Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative
- No immigrant visa is available yet for your family member, and
- Received an invitation from the Department of State’s National Visa Center (NVC) to participate in the CFRP program. Please refer to the “How to Apply to the CFRP Programme” section below for more details.
To be eligible, the main beneficiary must:
- Being a Cuban national currently residing in Cuba,
- Having an applicant who has been invited to participate in the CFRP programme.
WARNING:
Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens are not eligible for CFRP, as they can immediately apply for immigrant visas upon approval of their Form I-130 The immediate family members are: spouses of U.S. citizens, unmarried children under 21 years of age of U.S. citizens, and parents of U.S. citizens over 21 years of age.
“If granted parole, family members can enter the United States without having to await the processing of their immigrant visa cases according to the assigned quotas. Once in the United States, CFRP beneficiaries can apply for work authorisation while they wait to qualify for legal permanent resident status”.
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has recently given the approval for the immediate online processing of work permits for foreigners who entered the US with a “parole”, a permit for temporary admission and stay in the country, according to El Nuevo Herald.
These new developments benefit Cuban citizens who have entered US territory in recent months, as the beneficiaries of the new changes to US work permits are those who apply for humanitarian parole or public benefit parole.
About Us
Opapeleo is your agency for paperwork procedures 100% online or by phone. We are in Washington DC 150 meters away from the Cuban Consulate. We provide services of Extension and Cuban passport renewal, Legalisations, Powers of attorney of all kinds, Authorisation for minors to leave the country, DVT, Cuban visas, top-ups, requests for Cuban certificates, delivery of official documents and all kinds of procedures related to Cuba.
