The number of visas granted to Cubans wishing to visit the United States has increased by 25% in the past ten months according to figures provided by the U.S. Interests Section in Havana to Café Fuerte.
By the end of the fiscal year, it is expected that the number of visas granted in 2014 will exceed all previous years.
Recent changes in Cuba’s immigration policy allow travelers to leave Cuba for a maximum of twenty-four months without losing their Cuban citizenship.
From October 2013 – June 2014, the U.S. Interests Section granted 29,700 temporary visas for family visits and business, cultural, and professional trips, on pace to exceed the 32,254 such visas granted in the entire previous fiscal year.
The Interests Section also reported that it has processed more than 17,000 immigrant visas for Cuban citizens during this fiscal year.
Cuba Central – Center for Democracy in the Americas
September 5, 2014
