US Moved Visa Procedures for Cuban Immigrants to Guyana
- Written by Redacción ¡ahora!
- Published in Cuba
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In a media note released Thursday, it was announced that as of that date, Guyana will become the primary site for processing immigrant visa applications for Cubans and that the first interviews will take place in June.
The announcement is made less than a month after the Department announced its decision to keep indefinitely the reduction of its diplomatic staff in Havana, a measure criticized by the island and various US sectors that have denounced that it is politically motivated.
Taking as a pretext the alleged acoustic attacks against its diplomats in Havana, in January Washington closed its consular operations in its Embassy in the Cuban capital and transferred the interviews of immigrant visas for citizens of the island to the US embassy in Colombia.
Cubans who travelled to Bogota have to spend at least two weeks in Colombia, pay for a Colombian visa and for expensive round trip flights. The process of having to go to a third country to apply for an immigrant or non-immigrant visa has been harshly criticized by Cubans on both sides of the Florida Straits, who consider the travel requirement as a financial punishment for tens of thousands of people.
The media note said that in determining an alternative location, the State Department considered a number of factors including availability of flights, visa requirements, space to accommodate additional applicant files, and availability of staff.
It also reiterated that Cubans seeking routine non-immigrant visas may apply at any U.S. embassy or consulate outside Cuba.
Asked about the investigation on the origin of the alleged sonic attacks, State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said Thursday that the United States still doesn´t know what or who is responsible and that the probe is still going on. / PL