SAN LUIS POTOSÍ, Mexico.- The Government of the United States eliminated to Cuba from the list of countries whose citizens may apply for the Diversity Visa Program for Immigrants 2026 (DV-2026), which offers up to 55,000 permanent residence visas annually.
According to the publication from the Department of State, Cuban citizens will not be able to opt for a diversity visa because more than 55,000 nationals have emigrated to the United States in the last five years, which is why Cuba is no longer a country with a low immigration rate. .
The call launched this Friday indicates that the registration link will be enabled from October 5 to November 9, 2024; It was specified: “with the exception of Cuba, which is not eligible for DV-2026, there were no changes in eligibility with respect to the previous fiscal year.”
Participating countries are not included in the list either. Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico and Venezuela.
In this edition of the “visa lottery” the countries in the region that can participate are Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay.
The Visa Lottery, a program established in 1990, displays eligibility criteria for applicants. These include being a citizen of a country with a low immigration rate to the US; have 12 years of primary and secondary education or its equivalent; have at least two years of work experience, within the last five years, in an eligible occupation.
In 2024, as in previous years, the program granted 55,000 permanent residence visas to people around the world. Of a total of 3,150 granted to South America and the Caribbean, Cuba was the country in the region that received the most visas, with a total of 2,348 Cubans were selected.
They were followed by Ecuador (795) and Peru (657), in a draw with members from 22 nations in the hemisphere.
Record numbers of Cuban arrivals
In August 2024, 11,744 Cuban migrants arrived in the United States, which represents an average of 378 people daily, according to the most recent data provided by Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
It is about the figure lowest since July 2023, when 7,479 Cubans arrived in the North American country.
However, the number of Cubans entering the United States remains unstoppable. Since the beginning of the current fiscal year, which began in October 2023, it amounts to 208,308. If the current pace of arrivals continues, fiscal year 2024 is projected to conclude with more than 227,000 arrivals.
