Immigration: Cuba

General information, not legal advice. Data as of October 11, 2026

Visa line

Cuba does not have its own column. If you were born in Cuba, you use the rest-of-the-world column ("All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed").

Family (Final Action Date / Date for Filing):

Employment: EB-1 C / C; EB-2 01APR25 / 15MAR26; EB-3 15JUN24 / 01AUG24; other workers 01JUN22 / 01JUL22; EB-4 and religious workers 15DEC22 / 01JAN25, but the part for religious workers who are not ministers expires December 11, 2026 unless Congress extends it.

If you and your spouse immigrate together (cross-chargeability):

• If your spouse was born in a country with a longer line (for example, Mexico in the family categories), your spouse can use the Cuba column. For that, you both must get the green card in the same case, as the principal applicant and the accompanying spouse.
• It does not apply if you are already a citizen or resident and you petition for your spouse: in that case, your spouse's country of birth counts.

Which chart USCIS uses: in November 2026, USCIS says to use the "Dates for Filing" chart for family and employment cases if you apply for a green card inside the U.S. This changes every month.

Visa suspension for Cubans (Proclamation 10998):

• Proclamation 10998 (Federal Register, 90 FR 59717) has been in effect since January 1, 2026. For Cuba, it continues the partial suspension that started on June 9, 2025, with Proclamation 10949.
• What it suspends: all immigrant visas (the green card requested from outside the U.S.) and tourist and business visas (B-1/B-2), student visas (F and M) and exchange visas (J).
• Other nonimmigrant visas are not suspended, but they may be issued for a shorter time.
• Since January 1, 2026, there is no longer an exception for spouses, children and parents of U.S. citizens. Your Cuban relative who is outside the U.S. can go to the interview, but the visa may be denied even if their date is current.
• Who it applies to: Cubans who were outside the U.S. on January 1, 2026, and did not have a valid visa that day. Visas issued before that date are not canceled.
• Who it does not apply to: permanent residents (green card); dual nationals traveling on the passport of a country that is not on the list; certain diplomatic visas; athletes at major sporting events; special visas for U.S. government employees; and cases approved one by one for national interest.
• It does not limit applying for asylum, refugee status or other protections. It also does not apply to people who already received asylum or entered as refugees.
• The proclamation is about visas and entering the country. Its text does not mention applying for a green card inside the U.S. (adjustment of status), which is how the Cuban Adjustment Act works.
• It has no end date. The government reviews it every 180 days. As of today, there is no new proclamation that changes the rules for Cuba.
• If a Cuban qualifies for a B-1/B-2 visa (for example, under an exception), the State Department says they must post a bond of up to $20,000 before getting it. It is paid only when the consular officer says so, and only on the website named in the officer's instructions.

Where immigrant visas are processed:

• The U.S. Embassy in Havana says it processes all immigrant visa categories. If your relative lives in Cuba, their interview is done there.

State Department pause (January 2026):

• Starting January 21, 2026, the State Department stopped issuing immigrant visas to people from a list of 75 countries that included Cuba. Because of a court order, that pause has not been in effect since August 21, 2026. Even so, the Proclamation 10998 suspension continues.

USCIS pause for people from certain countries:

• USCIS had put "on hold" the pending applications of people from the countries in those proclamations, including Cuba.
• In June 2026, a federal court in Rhode Island canceled that pause. In August 2026, a federal court in California ordered USCIS to decide those applications in the normal way.
• USCIS says it disagrees, but that it follows those orders while the cases continue. This may change.

Careful: a current date does not mean you can apply for a green card inside the country. And if you are in the U.S., talk to a lawyer or accredited representative before you leave the country.

Official sources: State Dept. · Visa Bulletin Nov. 2026 ↗ · Federal Register · Proclamation 10998 ↗ · U.S. Embassy Havana · Visas ↗ · USCIS · Court orders on hold policies ↗

TPS

Cuba does not have TPS. It is not on the USCIS list of countries with TPS or on the list of countries that had it before. Do not trust anyone who offers "TPS for Cubans."

Official sources: USCIS · Temporary Protected Status ↗

Cuban Adjustment Act

The Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966 lets Cuban natives or citizens who live in the U.S. apply for permanent residence (green card) inside the country, if they meet certain requirements.

Requirements according to USCIS:

• Be a native or citizen of Cuba.
• Have been inspected and admitted, or paroled, after January 1, 1959.
• Have at least 1 year of physical presence in the U.S. when you file Form I-485, and be in the U.S. that day. If you already had 1 year here when you were paroled, you can file right after the parole.
• Be admissible or qualify for a waiver. Public charge, labor certification and the immigrant visa or documents requirement do not apply in this process. The other grounds of inadmissibility do apply.
• USCIS decides with discretion: meeting the requirements does not guarantee approval.
• To prove you were born in Cuba you can use, for example, your Cuban passport (valid or expired) or your Cuban birth certificate. If you were born outside Cuba, USCIS says a consular birth certificate is not enough to prove Cuban citizenship.

Your family:

• Your spouse and your unmarried children under 21 can apply for the green card under this law even if they are not Cuban. They must live with you, have been admitted or paroled, and have 1 year of physical presence in the U.S. They can file together with you, while your case is pending or after it is approved. It does not matter how long the relationship has existed.

Form and cost (today):

• Form I-485: $1,440. A child under 14 filing together with one parent: $950. For the Cuban Adjustment Act you file on paper, by mail: USCIS only allows filing Form I-485 online in family (I-130), employment (I-140) or VAWA cases.
• Use the September 18, 2026 edition of the form: USCIS rejects older editions. The mailing address changed on October 7, 2026; check it at uscis.gov/i-485 before you send your package.
• With your I-485 pending you can apply for a work permit (I-765, category (c)(9)). It costs $260 if you filed your I-485 with a fee on or after April 1, 2024, and it is still pending.
• How long it lasts: for applications pending or filed on or after December 5, 2025, USCIS issues this permit for up to 18 months (the USCIS page on the Cuban Adjustment Act still says "up to 5 years"). If you already have a 5-year permit, it is valid until the date on your card. Renew on time: since October 30, 2025, your permit is no longer extended automatically while your renewal is pending.
• If you need to leave the U.S. while your I-485 is pending, USCIS says to first apply for travel permission (advance parole) with Form I-131.
• Check the USCIS fee schedule (uscis.gov/g-1055) on the day you file, because fees change.

If you have an I-220A:

• Some Cubans were released from immigration custody with Form I-220A (order of release on recognizance).
• If you entered with a CBP One appointment and were given parole, check your I-94: the Cuban Adjustment Act requires having been admitted or paroled. CBP canceled all CBP One appointments on January 20, 2025.
• The Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) decided in 2023, in Matter of Cabrera-Fernandez, that this release on recognizance is not humanitarian parole. Under that decision, people released that way were not "admitted or paroled," so they do not qualify for the Cuban Adjustment Act. That published decision is still in effect: the BIA's official list of decisions has none that changes it.
• In 2025 (Matter of Roque-Izada), the BIA said an immigration court case is not closed just because the person hopes USCIS will grant parole later.
• On February 23, 2026, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals canceled two BIA decisions in cases of Cubans released on recognizance and sent those cases back to the BIA. One of its reasons was that the government changed its position on the law used to detain them.
• That court did not decide whether those people qualify for the Cuban Adjustment Act, and its decision is not a published precedent. It did not change the BIA's rule.
• If you have an I-220A, talk to a lawyer or an accredited representative before you apply for anything. Each case is different. If you have a case in immigration court, go to all your hearings.

Careful: no one can promise you a green card with an I-220A. If someone offers to "change" your I-220A into parole for money, do not trust them.

The visa proclamations do not mention adjustment of status. The USCIS pause for people from certain countries, including Cuba, was stopped by federal courts in June and August 2026 (see the visa line section).

Official sources: USCIS · Cuban Adjustment Act ↗ · USCIS · Form I-485 fees ↗ · USCIS · Policy Manual: EAD validity ↗ · BIA (EOIR) · Matter of Cabrera-Fernandez ↗

Parole

What CHNV parole was:

• It let people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela, with a sponsor in the U.S., enter with parole for up to 2 years. They could apply for a work permit (category C11).

What happened:

• The government ended the program with a Federal Register notice of March 25, 2025 (90 FR 13611).
• The notice said that parole that had not expired would end on April 24, 2025, unless there was a different individual decision. It also said DHS intended to revoke work permits based on that parole.
• A federal court in Massachusetts put parts of the notice on hold in April 2025. The Supreme Court lifted that hold on May 30, 2025. Since then, the government can end that parole and revoke those work permits.
• On September 12, 2025, the First Circuit Court of Appeals canceled the Massachusetts court's order (case 25-1384).
• The notice says DHS would not confirm the sponsorship forms (I-134A) that were still pending. Today no court order brings back that parole.

What to do if you came with CHNV parole:

• Check your USCIS online account (myUSCIS). The notice says you are told there when your parole and your work permit end.
• The notice says that people who already got another legal status or another basis to stay do not have to leave the country because of that notice.
• Talk soon with a lawyer or an accredited representative. Ask whether you can apply for a green card under the Cuban Adjustment Act. If you have another pending application or a case in immigration court, keep it up to date and go to all your hearings. If you plan to apply for asylum, also ask about the deadlines.
• No one can "renew" or "bring back" CHNV parole today. If someone promises it to you for money, it is a scam.

Cuban Family Reunification Parole (CFRP):

• Since 2007, CFRP let certain U.S. citizens and permanent residents request parole for relatives in Cuba, so they could come without waiting for their immigrant visa to become available.
• The government ended CFRP and the other family reunification parole programs with a Federal Register notice of December 15, 2025 (90 FR 58032).
• The notice said that parole that had not expired would end on January 14, 2026. It did not end if the person had filed an I-485 by December 15, 2025, and it was still pending, or if there was a different individual decision.
• On January 24, 2026, a federal court in Massachusetts stopped the part of the notice that ended, early, the parole and work permits already granted (case 25-cv-10495).
• USCIS says it follows that order: the termination letters it sent are not in effect and can be ignored while the order lasts. The order does not change the original end date of your parole.
• The government appealed to the First Circuit Court of Appeals (case 26-1314). The case is still open, and this may change.
• The notice says DHS no longer processes pending CFRP requests. Today there is no way to apply for CFRP.
• If you came with CFRP, check your myUSCIS account and talk to a lawyer or an accredited representative about the Cuban Adjustment Act or another path.

Official sources: Federal Register · End of CHNV parole ↗ · USCIS · Supreme Court stay on CHNV ↗ · Federal Register · End of family parole ↗ · USCIS · CFRP program ↗

DACA

The rules are the same for Cubans as for any other country.

• USCIS still renews DACA and its work permits.
• It accepts new requests but does not process them. Paying for one today does not give you DACA.
• Your current DACA and work permit stay valid until they expire.
• Renew 120 to 150 days before it expires. Cost: $85 (I-821D) + $470 online or $520 on paper (I-765) = $555 or $605. There is no fee waiver. Only very limited fee exemptions exist, and USCIS must approve them before you file; see uscis.gov/DACA.
• There may be changes in Texas; check the USCIS page (uscis.gov/DACA).

Official sources: USCIS · DACA ↗ · USCIS · Form I-821D fees ↗ · USCIS · Form I-765 fees ↗

Consulate and paperwork

• Cuba has only one consular office in the U.S.: the Consular Office of the Embassy of Cuba in Washington, D.C. Its official website (misiones.cubaminrex.cu) does not list any other Cuban consulates in the U.S.
• Phone: (202) 797-8518. Email: consulado@usadc.embacuba.cu.
• It serves the public Monday to Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays it is also open from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. It is closed on Cuban holidays.
• To go in person, the consulate's services page gives the address 2639 16th St NW, Washington, DC 20009. Applications by mail go to Embassy of the Republic of Cuba, 2630 16th St NW, Washington, DC 20009. Call before you go to confirm.
• Most services can be requested in 3 ways: in person, by mail, or through the agencies that have a contract with the consulate. The list of agencies is on the consular services page. Some services are done only in person or through an agency, such as a first-time passport and the power of attorney for a minor's passport.
• For personal services, the consulate only accepts U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Postal Money Orders. If you send another form of payment, your application is returned. If you send your application by mail, include a prepaid return envelope with a tracking number, one for each person.
• The consulate announced that an update of its fees took effect on October 1, 2026 (Information Note 2/2026). It did not publish the new amounts in that note. Confirm the cost before you pay.

Careful: use only the consulate's official website (misiones.cubaminrex.cu) or the agencies the consulate lists.

Official sources: MINREX · Cuban Consulate in the U.S. ↗ · MINREX · Consular services ↗

If a relative is detained

• Look for them at ice.gov/locator with their A-number and country of birth (Cuba), or with their name and country of birth.
• If they do not show up, ICE says to call the appropriate local ERO (Enforcement and Removal Operations) field office.
• Call the Cuban consulate in Washington: (202) 797-8518. The consulate does not list a separate emergency number.
• Look for a lawyer or an accredited representative soon. On uscis.gov there is a list of accredited representatives and free or low-cost legal services.

Official sources: ICE · Locating detained people ↗ · MINREX · Cuban Consulate in the U.S. ↗

Passport and documents

• A Cuban passport issued on or after July 1, 2023, is valid for 10 years if you are 16 or older, and 5 years if you are under 16. Those issued before that date are valid for 6 years.
• You no longer have to extend (prorrogar) the passport every 2 years (since July 1, 2023). Cubans who emigrated also no longer need the passport "habilitación" (entry authorization) to enter Cuba (since January 1, 2018).
• Since April 1, 2025, every Cuban citizen must enter Cuba with a valid, unexpired Cuban passport. The consulate suggests checking when your passport expires and applying to renew it even 6 months before.

Renewing or applying for the first time:

• Renewal: your previous passport must have been issued on or after January 1, 2010. You send a copy of the data page, 2 color passport photos, the form (Annex 2) and the payment.
• First time: if you lost it, if you have a gray one or a blue one issued before 2010, or if you have none (and you left Cuba before January 1, 2014). You apply in person or through an agency, with your Cuban birth certificate, 2 forms and 2 photos.
• The consulate now takes biometric data (photo, signature and fingerprints). It says it will announce the date after which it will no longer accept personal renewals by mail. From then on, you will have to go in person or use an agency.
• Price: the consulate's page shows two different prices. In the requirements it says $200 (age 16 or older) or $160 (under 16), plus $30 if by mail and $5 in a separate money order. A notice on the same page says $180 or $140, plus $20 by mail and $5.

Careful: the consulate changed its fees on October 1, 2026. Before you send the money order, confirm the exact amount with the consulate. If you send an incorrect payment, the consulate says you must send a prepaid envelope to get it back.

Other documents:

• Through the consulate you can request documents from Cuba, such as birth, marriage or police certificates. You pay for the request and, when the document arrives, for the certificate and any legalizations you ask for.
• Travel and Transit Document: it temporarily replaces a lost, damaged or expired passport. It is good for a single entry to Cuba within 30 days at most. If you live abroad, it is given only for a humanitarian reason you can prove. It is only for entering: if you live in the U.S., the consulate says that to return to the U.S. or go to another country you must get a new passport in Cuba, at the Consultoría Jurídica Internacional.
• For a U.S. document to be valid in Cuba, the consulate asks you to translate it into Spanish with a notary's certification, have it authenticated by the Department of State of the state that issued it and by the federal Department of State, and then legalize it at the consulate.
• Neither the Cuban passport nor other Cuban documents give you immigration status or a work permit in the U.S.

New Cuban laws:

• Cuba published a new Migration Law (Law 171) in Official Gazette No. 39 Ordinaria of May 5, 2026. According to its text, it takes effect 180 days after its publication.
• When it takes effect, it repeals the 1976 Migration Law (Law 1312) and Decree-Laws 302 of 2012 and 327 of 2015. The new law keeps the 10-year passport (5 years for children under 16). Procedures may change: check the consulate's website before you start one.

Official sources: MINREX · Consular services ↗ · MINREX · 2018 migration measures ↗ · MINREX · New migration laws ↗ · Official Gazette · Law 171 (Migration) ↗

Children born in the U.S. and citizenship

• Cuba's 2019 Constitution (article 34) says that people born abroad to a Cuban father or mother are Cuban by birth, after meeting the requirements and formalities set by law.
• Article 36 says that having another citizenship does not make you lose Cuban citizenship. Under the Constitution, becoming a U.S. citizen does not take away your Cuban citizenship. The same article says that, while they are in Cuba, Cubans are governed by that status and cannot use a foreign citizenship.
• The new Citizenship Law (Law 172) was published in the same Gazette of May 5, 2026, and also takes effect 180 days later. Then it repeals Decree-Law 352 of 2017 and the old Citizenship Regulation (Decree 358 of 1944).
• Law 172 also covers giving up Cuban citizenship. Among other requirements, you must have another citizenship and live outside Cuba, and the renunciation is only valid once the Cuban authority accepts it. Since the law is not in effect yet, ask the consulate before you do this.
• Law 172 requires that the birth of a child born abroad be registered in Cuba's Civil Registry, and that the child be the son or daughter of a Cuban father or mother born in Cuba (or the grandchild of a Cuban born in Cuba). It also says Cubans must identify themselves as Cubans when entering, staying in and leaving Cuba, and before Cuban consulates.

How the consulate explains it today:

• Step 1, birth transcription: the consulate records your child's birth for Cuba's registry. This does not give your child citizenship automatically, but it is a required step to apply for it.
• For the transcription, the consulate asks for: the form (Annex 13); the original birth certificate, authenticated by the Department of State of the state that issued it and by the federal Department of State; its Spanish translation certified by a notary; a copy of the child's U.S. passport; and copies of the parents' passports, IDs and birth certificates.
• The transcription itself has no fee, but the legalizations of the certificate and its translation do. The page gives different amounts for legalizations: confirm the cost before you pay.
• Step 2, citizenship application: with the Cuban birth certificate that comes from the transcription, you apply for citizenship at the consulate, in person or through an agency. The consulate says that since 2018 you do not need to travel to Cuba for the approval.
• The same page also says that, after the consulate notifies you, the applicant must travel to Cuba within 180 days at most and go to the Trámites office of their municipality. It is not clear whether this applies to everyone or only to people who will live in Cuba: ask the consulate.

Careful: if you or your child have an immigration case in the U.S., talk to a lawyer or an accredited representative before you travel.

Official sources: Official Gazette · 2019 Constitution ↗ · Official Gazette · Law 172 (Citizenship) ↗ · MINREX · New migration laws ↗ · MINREX · Consular services ↗

If you return to Cuba

• Today, to move back to Cuba, the consulate handles the "Application for Permanent Residence in the National Territory" for Cubans who emigrated. You apply at the consulate (in person, by mail or through an agency) or at the Immigration offices (DIIE) in Cuba. The new Migration Law (Law 171) may change this process when it takes effect.
• You submit a letter with your reasons and the name, address and phone number of a reference person in Cuba; the form; 2 photos; a copy of your Cuban passport; a copy of your U.S. ID; and the notarized deed from the owner of the home where you will live (it is optional at the consulate, but required when you continue the process in Cuba).
• The U.S. government has the CBP Home app for people without legal status who decide to leave. DHS says it gives a free trip, an exit bonus once you confirm in the app that you arrived, and forgiveness of certain fines for not leaving. DHS has changed the bonus amount several times: check dhs.gov/cbphome. The app is downloaded from the App Store or Google Play.
• If you have a pending asylum application and you leave the U.S. without travel permission (advance parole), the federal rule (8 CFR 208.8) presumes you abandoned your application. And if you leave with travel permission but go to Cuba, the country you say you fled, the same rule also presumes you abandoned it, unless you show compelling reasons for that trip. Talk to a lawyer or an accredited representative before using the app.
• If you are also a U.S. citizen: the State Department says Cuba requires Cuban dual nationals to enter and leave Cuba with a Cuban passport. Travel with valid U.S. and Cuban passports.
• The State Department's travel advisory for Cuba is Level 2 ("exercise increased caution").

Official sources: MINREX · Consular services ↗ · eCFR · 8 CFR 208.8 (asylum and travel) ↗ · DHS · CBP Home app ↗ · State Dept. · Cuba country information ↗

Sources: travel.state.gov, fam.state.gov, cu.usembassy.gov (U.S. Embassy in Havana), uscis.gov, federalregister.gov, justice.gov/eoir (BIA decisions), federal courts (govinfo.gov and case records), ecfr.gov (8 CFR), dhs.gov, ice.gov, misiones.cubaminrex.cu (Consulate of Cuba in Washington and Cuba's Ministry of Foreign Affairs), gacetaoficial.gob.cu (2019 Constitution and Official Gazette No. 39 Ordinaria of 2026). Always check the official source before you start a process.

Consulates in the U.S.