Cuba to make foreign travel easier for citizens
Most Cubans will be able to leave without exit visa, though restrictions remain on some workers to prevent brain drain
The Cuban president, Raúl Castro, who has relaxed migration rules. Photograph: Alejandro Ernesto/AP
Cuba
will open its exit doors wider than at any time in 50 years as a result
of migration reforms announced on Tuesday that will make it easier for
citizens to travel overseas.
Under the new government policy, most islanders will no longer require an exit visa or a letter of invitation to leave the country, raising the prospect of increased travel to the United States and elsewhere.
However, there will continue to be restrictions on certain sectors of society, including doctors, scientists and members of the military, in an effort to prevent a brain drain of personnel who have benefited most from Cuba's highly regarded state education and health systems.
The major shift in migration policy follows economic and social reforms by the president, Raúl Castro, that loosen controls on sales of private property, mobile phone ownership and hotel stays and aim to make the island more attractive to foreign investors.
The exit visa system dates back to 1961, when the government tightened border controls to stem a flood of migrants amid tensions with the US and unease among some sectors of society about the 1959 revolution that put Fidel Castro in power.
Its abolition – which will come into effect before 14 January – is likely to be popular because it will save time and money for tourists and those who want to work overseas or visit relatives among the large diaspora in the US. Exit visas currently cost about $150 – about a third of the average monthly wage.
The change – which was promised by Raúl Castro when he became president in 2008 – was announced by the Communist party newspaper Granma.
"As part of the work under way to update the current migratory policy and adjust it to the conditions of the present and the foreseeable future, the Cuban government, in exercise of its sovereignty, has decided to eliminate the procedure of the exit visa for travel to the exterior," read the notice.
The government has also extended the length of time that Cubans can stay overseas – without losing their social security, health benefits and voting rights – from 11 to 24 months.
The reform will have political ramifications beyond the island's borders. There are thought to be more than a million Cubans in the US, which has a longstanding policy of granting citizenship to almost all migrants from the island, on which Washington has imposed an economic embargo.
Sharp economic disparities, political differences and migration controls have prompted countless Cubans to migrate illegally in recent decades. Thousands travel via Mexico and other countries in Central America each year, sometimes at great risk in unsafe boats.
Under the new system, travellers should only need a passport and a visa from the country they intend to visit. But government critics said controls on the movement of dissidents were likely to continue, through denials of passports and other restrictions.
"The devil is in the details," tweeted Yoani Sánchez, a dissident blogger who was detained by the authorities earlier this month. She said the new law could be used to prevent overseas travel by Cubans who "organise or participate in actions that are hostile against the country's political foundation".
Most citizens were thought likely to welcome the change.
"There have been many expectations for many years about a new travel law. It's a big step forward that will save us money and simplify the process," the office worker Rafael Pena told Reuters reporters in Havana.
Under the new government policy, most islanders will no longer require an exit visa or a letter of invitation to leave the country, raising the prospect of increased travel to the United States and elsewhere.
However, there will continue to be restrictions on certain sectors of society, including doctors, scientists and members of the military, in an effort to prevent a brain drain of personnel who have benefited most from Cuba's highly regarded state education and health systems.
The major shift in migration policy follows economic and social reforms by the president, Raúl Castro, that loosen controls on sales of private property, mobile phone ownership and hotel stays and aim to make the island more attractive to foreign investors.
The exit visa system dates back to 1961, when the government tightened border controls to stem a flood of migrants amid tensions with the US and unease among some sectors of society about the 1959 revolution that put Fidel Castro in power.
Its abolition – which will come into effect before 14 January – is likely to be popular because it will save time and money for tourists and those who want to work overseas or visit relatives among the large diaspora in the US. Exit visas currently cost about $150 – about a third of the average monthly wage.
The change – which was promised by Raúl Castro when he became president in 2008 – was announced by the Communist party newspaper Granma.
"As part of the work under way to update the current migratory policy and adjust it to the conditions of the present and the foreseeable future, the Cuban government, in exercise of its sovereignty, has decided to eliminate the procedure of the exit visa for travel to the exterior," read the notice.
The government has also extended the length of time that Cubans can stay overseas – without losing their social security, health benefits and voting rights – from 11 to 24 months.
The reform will have political ramifications beyond the island's borders. There are thought to be more than a million Cubans in the US, which has a longstanding policy of granting citizenship to almost all migrants from the island, on which Washington has imposed an economic embargo.
Sharp economic disparities, political differences and migration controls have prompted countless Cubans to migrate illegally in recent decades. Thousands travel via Mexico and other countries in Central America each year, sometimes at great risk in unsafe boats.
Under the new system, travellers should only need a passport and a visa from the country they intend to visit. But government critics said controls on the movement of dissidents were likely to continue, through denials of passports and other restrictions.
"The devil is in the details," tweeted Yoani Sánchez, a dissident blogger who was detained by the authorities earlier this month. She said the new law could be used to prevent overseas travel by Cubans who "organise or participate in actions that are hostile against the country's political foundation".
Most citizens were thought likely to welcome the change.
"There have been many expectations for many years about a new travel law. It's a big step forward that will save us money and simplify the process," the office worker Rafael Pena told Reuters reporters in Havana.
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