The director of Consular Affairs and Cuban Residents Abroad, Ernesto Soberón, reminded Cubans who have been abroad for more than 24 months that current the measure adopted in October 2020 by which they do not lose their status as residents on the Island.
The exception to the current Immigration Law, of 2013, began in October 2020, during the covid-19 pandemic, so that Cubans who had not been able to return to the Island due to border closures and flight cancellations would not see their modified status.
“On New Year’s Eve, our compatriots are reiterated that the extension, automatic and free of charge, of uninterrupted stay abroad continues to be in force; beyond 24 months, without implying loss of resident status in the national territory “, wrote Soberón on his Twitter account.
The extension of the measure, which has always been “until further notice”, has been maintained over time despite the fact that the international scene and on the Island have changed in terms of the pandemic.
The extension of the measure, which has always been “until further notice”, has been maintained over time despite the fact that the international scene and on the Island have changed in terms of the pandemic. In September 2021, in his reminder of the validity of the exception, Soberón indicated:
“Given the persistence of the complex international epidemiological situation, the extension, automatic and free of charge, of uninterrupted stay abroad, beyond 24 months, continues until further notice, maintaining their status as residents in the national territory.”
On this occasion, when the borders of most countries have already been opened with hardly any restrictions, there are apparently no reasons to maintain the situation. The paralysis could be attributed to the possible change in the Cuban Immigration Law, which according to sources 14ymedio is preparing for next year.
At the beginning of November, this newspaper published information from an anonymous source linked to the Property Registry that assured that a commission is preparing changes to the norm to adapt to the scenario of massive departures that affects the Island and that has put the notaries and property registrars to the limit.
“Now we are in the proposal phase, but the orientation we have received is that it is about adjusting the current legislation so that it contemplates the possibility of making the issue of property and its conservation more flexible in the hands of those who spend some time abroad. We are still in the preliminary phase, although we have been told that everything could be approved very quickly,” he said.
Soberón himself stated on a trip to Uruguay this October that the Government is working on a “Citizenship Law and is working to promote relations with emigrants”
Among the proposals is that of allowing the same person to own more than one home, but also making the status of citizen more flexible. “You have to find a solution to all this, and making the 24-month time that the person can stay outside the country without losing their properties more flexible is a first step.”
Soberón himself affirmed on a trip to Uruguay this October that the Government is working on a “Citizenship Law and is working to promote relations with emigrants.”
Meanwhile, this Wednesday, the official added in a second tweet that “the possibility of returning to Cuba, exceptionally and for once, with an expired and unextended passport, is also maintained for residents of the national territory who were abroad on March 19, 2020, and have not yet returned to Cuba”.
On the other hand, Soberón continues without explaining the reasons that justify the prohibition to return to the country of at least three young Cubans, Anamely Ramos, Omara Ruiz Urquiola and Carlos Manuel Álvarez, although regime spokesman Humberto López He affirmed, in the case of the first, that “article 24 of the Immigration Law” was being applied to him.
“The channels and formalities established by the Law in this regard are maintained and no change in its cost is foreseen immediately”
On the same day, the Ministry of the Interior wanted to put a stop to the rumors that were circulating about a rise in the prices of passports. In a note published in the official pressthe immigration authorities request “to dismiss any ‘unfounded rumor’ or information that is not published through official media and by the relevant instances.”
“The Directorate of Identification, Immigration and Foreigners (DIIE) of the Ministry of the Interior reiterates that the channels and formalities established by the Law in this regard are maintained and no change in its cost is foreseen immediately,” the text adds.
The Cuban passport is one of the most expensive in the world, especially if one takes into account the limited mobility it provides, since there are less than 40 visa-free countries for the citizens of the Island. With a duration of 6 years, the current price of the document for residents on the Island is 2,500 pesos and the two extensions are 500 each, while for emigrants the cost ranges from 200 to more than 400 dollars depending on the country of residence.
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