The General Directorate of Migration and Immigration (DGME) of Costa Rica announced on Monday the creation of a new “Special Temporary Category” that will allow thousands of Nicaraguan, Venezuelan, Cuban, and Colombian migrants to regularize their migration status and work legally in that country starting September 2026.
The measure is aimed at individuals whose applications for refugee status recognition are still pending resolution or have been rejected by Costa Rican immigration authorities.
Who can benefit?
The mechanism applies to those who submitted asylum applications between June 1, 2014, and May 7, 2026, as long as those cases are pending or have been denied.
The eligibility condition will be verified ex officio by the immigration authority, so that applicants do not have to start any additional procedures to prove it.
Applicants must not have any other valid immigration status nor be involved in regularization processes other than the asylum application.
Applications will be accepted starting on September 1, 2026, and the deadline for submission will extend until September 1, 2027.
Free access to the labor market
One of the key benefits of the new category is unrestricted access to formal employment.
"The beneficiary of this special category will have the freedom to engage in any paid work activity, whether self-employed or as an employee," states Article Two of the resolution.
Beneficiaries will also be able to leave and return to Costa Rica without needing additional permits, as long as they comply with ordinary immigration controls.
Validity of two years and indefinite renewal
The special category will be valid for two years and may be renewed for equal periods indefinitely, as long as there is no higher regulation stating otherwise.
Those who have recorded irregular income or expenditures after receiving the benefit must provide documentary evidence to justify the absence of records; if the reasons are not accepted, the authority may deny the renewal.
The benefit will be automatically canceled for those who do not renew the document within three months after its expiration.
It may also be revoked for individuals who pose a threat to public safety or have been convicted of intentional crimes in the last 10 years.
A system of asylum under extreme pressure
The measure addresses the accumulated saturation of the Costa Rican asylum system.
As of May 2025, Costa Rica had over 220,000 pending asylum applications, of which approximately 83% were from Nicaraguans.
Between 2014 and April 2025, Nicaraguans submitted 195,512 asylum applications, and only 5% received a resolution.
During that same period, Costa Rica received 10,895 applications from Venezuelans, 7,292 from Cubans, and 4,685 from Colombians.
The new measure expands the scope of a similar category implemented in 2023 -which only covered Nicaraguans, Venezuelans, and Cubans-and for the first time includes Colombians.
The previous experience showed modest results: between April 2023 and January 2024, only 8,427 people applied for the benefit compared to an estimated universe of around 290,000 applicants.
Diplomatic break with Cuba, but humanitarian opening
The announcement comes at a time of tension between Costa Rica and Cuba.
In March 2026, then-President Rodrigo Chaves announced the closure of the Costa Rican embassy in Havana and requested the Cuban regime to withdraw its diplomatic personnel from San José, in protest against the deterioration of human rights on the island.
The president Laura Fernández Delgado, who took office on May 8, 2026, supported the diplomatic break and was emphatic: “Costa Rica will not tolerate violations of human rights.”
At the same time, Fernández reassured the resident Cuban community, estimated to be around 10,000 people.
"The Cuban people residing in Costa Rica should remain calm. The number of Cubans living in Costa Rica, some of whom have even applied for asylum, is around 10,000. They can be at ease," he stated.
The new special category, which includes Cubans among its beneficiaries, reflects that duality: firmness against the regime in Havana, but humanitarian openness towards those who have fled it.
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