So many doubts seem to have raised the new immigration measures announced yesterday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that this Wednesday not only the official program will be devoted entirely to the subject Round table, rather, Ernesto Soberón, general director of Consular Affairs and Cuban Residents Abroad, has offered a direct transmission in the morning to answer them.
In an informal interview with another foreign official who was reading the questions to Soberón, he clarified that Cubans who have a passport valid for six years will have to keep that document, but that -just like those who acquire the new document, as of July 1, with a validity of up to ten years – they will be exempt from the extension every two.
“It would not be logical to tell Cubans that they have to go through an additional procedure to put a sticker on their passport that says that the validity is extended,” said the director of Consular Affairs, who also said that whoever wanted to get a new passport for ten years, you can do it.
Regarding citizens who do not have their passport extended and have to travel before July 1, when all the measures come into force, Soberón warned that “those cases, which must be specific, will be analyzed in detail to find a solution.”
“I have seen opinions in the networks that a privilege is eliminated, quite the opposite,” he said, and argued: “What we are looking for with this measure is to eliminate that Cuban having to request an entry permit every time he comes to Cuba “
Another of the issues posed to the official referred to the “equalization” of the length of stay on the island of Cubans residing abroad and their foreign relatives. To this, Soberón recalled that until now, these relatives had a maximum stay of six months, and that from now on it will be one year.
Regarding the requirement of the use of the Cuban passport to enter the Island for “emigrants” before January 1, 1971, the director of Consular Affairs denied that it was a penalty. “I have seen opinions in the networks that a privilege is eliminated, quite the opposite,” he said, and argued: “What we are looking for with this measure is to eliminate that Cuban having to ask for an entry permit every time he comes to Cuba”. So that they can get their Cuban passport, he continued, “for a year they will be granted facilities” to all these citizens, without detailing what those facilities will be.
“We are also seeking to eliminate differences between categories of Cubans,” he insisted, and repeated another message: “The will of our government to continue developing a policy of strengthening ties with Cubans abroad remains unchanged.”
To demonstrate that Miguel Díaz-Canel’s new measures are “continuity”, he stated that “Fidel initiated the dialogue of 78” and that Raúl Castro approved the “deepest update of the Cuban immigration policy” for January 2013. He did not mention at any time the possibility that the authorities maintain of deny entry to any Cuban who has issued criticisms against the regime or the figure of the “regulated”, who are not allowed to leave the country.
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