The U.S. Embassy in Havana has resumed processing visas for Cubans, though on a limited basis, more than four years after stopping consular services on the island amid a hardening of relations.
The resumption comes as the number of Cubans trying to emigrate illegally to the United States surges. A State Department official said that, for the time being, U.S. officials in Havana will only process visa requests from Cubans who are the parents of U.S. citizens, under a category known as IR-5. The official said that the Biden administration in the future will evaluate expanding the services to others.
Any other applicants should apply for visas through the U.S. Embassy in Guyana, as they’ve done since 2018, when the administration of former President Donald Trump withdrew embassy staff from Havana, the Associated Press reported.