U.S. Embassy in Cuba resumes appointments for immigrant visas

The news comes as a relief for those who were waiting for the announcement.

Embajada de Estados Unidos en La Habana (Imagen de referencia) © CiberCuba
Embassy of the United States in Havana (Reference image)Photo © CiberCuba

The United States Embassy in Havana announced on Wednesday the resumption of immigrant visa services.

The diplomatic mission specified in a post on X that the appointments postponed earlier this month due to Hurricane Rafael and power outages have been rescheduled.

"The Document Review services resumed on November 20, and visa interviews restarted this week on November 25," the entity added.

The Embassy specified that they are directly contacting the applicants who were scheduled from November 4 to 22 to inform them of their new interview date, and requested that they do not call the diplomatic mission.

At the beginning of November, the U.S. Embassy in Cuba announced that "all routine services for immigrant and non-immigrant visas (including interviews and document reviews)" scheduled for this month were suspended and would be reprogrammed.

The diplomatic mission announced that it would only provide emergency services to U.S. citizens from November 12 to 15, "due to the current instability of the national power grid and recovery efforts following Hurricane Rafael," and that there would be no routine services, visas, or other appointments.

The announcement of the temporary suspension of procedures was made on November 11, a date on which the Embassy was also closed in commemoration of Veterans Day, a festive holiday in the United States.

The interruption of procedures did not sit well with many Cubans, who expressed their concern and frustration over the delays in consular services.

It later emerged that the limitations on the consular services of the United States Embassy in Havana were prompted by a voluntary departure order issued by the U.S. State Department for its contracted employees and their eligible family members due to the impact of Hurricane Rafael on the capital.

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