September 21, 2022
U.S. Embassy in Havana Prepares for Full Resumption of Immigrant Visa Services in Cuba, Will Accelerate Processing of Cuban Family Reunification
Consistent with our commitments under the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection to facilitate safe, orderly, humane, and regular migration, the United States is today announcing an expansion of regular pathways available to Cubans wishing to come to the United States and an increase in personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Havana.
As part of the expansion of regular pathways, beginning in early 2023, the U.S. Embassy in Havana will resume full immigrant visa processing for the first time since 2017. Immigrant visas provide eligible individuals with an avenue for safe and orderly migration. This change will also eliminate the need for Cubans applying for immigrant visas in family preference categories to travel outside of Cuba to Georgetown, Guyana for their interviews.
Additionally, in accordance with the resumption of the Cuban Family Reunification Parole (CFRP) program in August 2022, U.S. Citizenship, and Immigration Services (USCIS) is increasing the number of personnel in Havana to efficiently and effectively process cases and conduct interviews.
The CFRP program was established in 2007 to provide a safe, orderly pathway to the United States for certain Cuban beneficiaries of approved family-based immigrant petitions. The program allows certain eligible U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents who receive an invitation letter to apply for parole for their family members in Cuba to allow them to reunite in the United States sooner than they might otherwise be able to through regular immigrant visa processing.
These efforts are a key step to meet the U.S. commitment under the U.S.-Cuba Migration Accords to ensure that total legal migration to the United States from Cuba will be a minimum of 20,000 Cubans each year, not including immediate relatives of U.S. citizens. The State Department continues to evaluate further expanding visa services in Havana as conditions permit.
As we work toward this goal, Embassy Havana’s consular section will continue to provide essential American Citizens Services, immigrant visa services to those applying in the Immediate Relative categories, and limited emergency nonimmigrant visa processing. Embassy Georgetown in Guyana will continue to process Cuban immigrant visa applicants in the family preference categories until Havana resumes full immigrant visa processing in early 2023.
During the transition to full immigrant visa processing at the U.S. Embassy in Havana, the National Visa Center (NVC) will continue to schedule family preference visa applicants for appointments at the U.S. Embassy in Georgetown, Guyana. The NVC will start scheduling all immediate relative and family preference immigrant visa applicants at the U.S. Embassy in Havana for appointments at the beginning of 2023. Applicants do not need to contact the embassies in Havana or in Georgetown or the NVC as they will be notified directly with their appointment information.
We will provide further details as they become available and encourage interested parties to visit the U.S. Embassy Havana’s website for the most updated information.
