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The United States will once again issue the B2 visas, with five years of validity, which allow Cubans to travel to that country as tourists, three official sources from Washington assured journalist Mario J. Pentón, from America news. However, these long-term permits must be granted in offices in third countries, since the White House does not foresee, for the moment, their processing in Havana.

This category of visa allows entry into the country to people who intend to make family visits, receive medical treatment, go to tourist places or go shopping. However, applicants must demonstrate that they are not possible migrants and document their roots on the Island. Once this document is obtained, travelers will be able to enter several countries in Latin America and the Caribbean without a visa.

According to Pentón, his contacts asked to remain anonymous because the US government will not make an official statement until the end of August.

The possible resumption of five-year tourist visas for Cubans is good news for thousands of residents on the Island who have Spanish nationality, and who, after Cuba’s inclusion on the list of countries sponsoring terrorism, have seen limited their entry to the US due to the restrictions imposed on those who enter or live in Cuban territory, to benefit from the ESTA visa exemption program.

The possible restart of the five-year tourist visas for Cubans is good news for thousands of residents on the Island who have Spanish nationality.

Las mules They have also welcomed the news. With a visa of this type, Cubans have their doors open, without the need to obtain a visa for Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic and Mexico, all countries in the region that are the closest markets for the purchase of merchandise. to import and resell on the Island.

In 2019, the US Embassy in Havana suspended the issuance of five-year visas and replaced them with three-month, single-entry permits as a sign of “reciprocity” to the Island, which offers similar conditions to foreigners. American travelers. During Donald Trump’s tenure, and with the covid-19 pandemic in full swing, the Consulate limited its functions.

According to figures issued by the US Department of State, in 2022 barely 3,000 visas were issued to Cubans, while from 2012 to 2014, in the midst of the “thaw” between Washington and Havana, the figures reached 40,000.

Joe Biden’s policies, for his part, have followed the line of Barack Obama, also a Democrat, and are committed to opening legal migratory routes that reduce the waves of travelers who arrive daily at his land border with Mexico.

This Thursday, the US government announced the reopening of an office of the Embassy in Havana that will process applications for family reunification visas and requests for political asylum, a service that has not been provided for five years.

The secretary of the Department of Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, pointed out that the main objectives of the headquarters are “reducing the number of irregular crossings” on the US border, leaving people traffickers without resources and “simplifying access to legal channels, safe and orderly to those seeking humanitarian relief” in the US.

The office will also provide other services, such as refugee case processing and biometric data collection for U visa applicants, for victims of criminal acts.

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