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The Cuban regime published on Tuesday in the Extraordinary Official Gazette No. 60 three legal norms that establish and regulate the immigration status of "Investors and Businesses" for Cuban citizens residing abroad.
The provisions are established in Decree-Law 117/2026 of the Council of State, Decree 150/2026 of the Council of Ministers, and Resolution 93/2026 of the Ministry of Finance and Prices, signed between April 15 and 16 and published today simultaneously.
The Decree-Law 117, signed by Juan Esteban Lazo Hernández, president of the National Assembly, formally establishes the new migratory category for emigrants who wish to participate in the island's economic model.
The text states that it is "the will of the Cuban state to implement the approved measures and provide the necessary legal security to Cuban citizens residing abroad who express their interest in participating in the national economy."
Those who are already residents abroad or emigrants can apply for it, as explained by the Cuban government in a press conference held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs International Press Center.
The application can be submitted at Cuban consulates abroad or at offices of the Ministry of the Interior within Cuba, accompanied by a written request and a guarantee from the Cuban entity with which commercial relations will be established.
The consulate has three business days to evaluate and forward the application to the Immigration Authority, which has 30 business days to make a decision and an additional seven business days to notify the interested party.
Once granted, the condition "is maintained as long as the person fulfills the requirements under which it was obtained," and its holders "are equated to Cuban citizens residing in the National Territory" during their stay in Cuba.
The cost of the procedure, set by Resolution 93/2026 of Minister Vladimir Regueiro Ale, is 3,500 Cuban pesos.
The origin of these regulations dates back to March 16, 2026, when the regime announced the measures allowing emigrants to invest in small and medium-sized enterprises, partner with private companies, open bank accounts in foreign currencies, access land under usufruct, and operate as virtual asset service providers.
The legal background reveals a significant contradiction: the Migration Law 171, approved in July 2024, already included this provision within a broader framework of rights, but has not been published in the Official Gazette for almost two years, preventing it from coming into effect.
The regime opted for a decree-law with a more limited scope to engage only the economically relevant segment of the diaspora, without activating the general rights framework approved in 2024.
Analysts from elTOQUE Jurídico warn that "the regulation does not redefine emigration as a subject of rights within the legal framework, but rather as a source of capital under controlled administrative conditions."
The economist Pedro Monreal pointed out that without basic legal guarantees that foster trust, «many emigrants will prefer to continue sending remittances instead of investing directly, but such guarantees do not seem to be on the radar».
The economic context driving the measure is a severe crisis: the Cuban GDP has fallen by 23% since 2019, accompanied by prolonged blackouts, food shortages, and widespread deterioration of infrastructure, a result of 67 years of communist dictatorship.
The Decree-Law 117 itself is provisional: it is in effect "until the aforementioned Law 171 comes into force," which raises the question of when —or if— the regime will finally publish that general regulation, the delay of which has been widely criticized.
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