Cuban migration has been characterised by constant change and redirection. Because Cuba is a country with so many external restrictions on travel to other destinations, Cubans who wish to emigrate have very few legal and regular opportunities to do so.
For this reason, potential migrants are constantly looking for new opportunities and ways to reach their destination, or at least to settle in a place with better economic conditions to support themselves and their families.
Cuba’s migration policies that facilitate migration
The significant wave of Cuban migration has led the Cuban government to implement measures to simplify migration procedures, although these initiatives face significant obstacles due to US policy and the complexity of irregular migration.
Cuba has introduced new legal reforms that change its immigration and migration policies. These reforms include the elimination of requirements such as the exit permit and the letter of invitation, which has reduced costs and made migration processes more flexible.
One of the most notable measures is the abolition of the 24-month limit for Cuban citizens to reside abroad. This allows Cubans to retain their citizenship even if they live outside the country.
Cuban migration to the United States
The increase in Cuban migration to the United States, in a context in which that country has almost no diplomatic representation on the island, has meant that Cubans wishing to reach the United States have had to travel to third countries in order to obtain a visa, especially in the case of family reunification.
The humanitarian parole programme implemented by the Biden administration in January 2023 has allowed tens of thousands of Cubans to travel legally to the United States.
Nicaragua’s removal of visa requirements for Cubans in November 2021 has facilitated more direct migration routes, although other countries in the region have imposed restrictions on Cubans trying to reach Nicaragua or other destinations.
All these reasons have increased the demand for procedures in the consulates and embassies of the countries on the arrival route to the United States. They have also required an increase in the number of Cuban consular services in the United States, as the Cuban population in the country has increased.
Consular Procedures
Those countries that offer the possibility of travelling without a visa, or that do not require the fulfilment of many requirements to obtain one, end up being the destination for many Cubans who want to live abroad.
The concentration of potential travellers in the same countries or regions leads to a high demand for consular services to obtain all the necessary permits to travel to the destination country or to legalise documents that will be needed once there.
At the same time, the demand for the services of Cuban consulates around the world is increasing, as expatriates living in other places have the diplomatic representation as a place where they can carry out their formalities in Cuba from afar or seek help in an emergency far from home.
Cost and accessibility
Although the reforms have reduced the cost of some procedures, consular procedures still involve significant costs that may be beyond the reach of a large part of the Cuban population, especially since these costs are expressed in dollars.
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Opapeleo is your procedure agency 100% online or by phone We are in Washington DC 150 meters away from the Cuban Consulate. We offer services for Cuban passports extensions and renewals, Legalizations, Powers of attorney of all kinds, minor travel authorizations, DVT, Visas to Cuba, Top-ups, Cuban certificate requests, official document deliveries, and all types of formalities related to Cuba.
