A Cuban woman residing in Spain confidently went to the United States embassy in Madrid to apply for a B1/B2 visa and returned empty-handed. The woman, identified on TikTok as @yairis.acuario, shared her experience in a video posted last Monday, four days after her consular appointment on August 20.
His case summarizes the frustration of thousands of Cubans in the European diaspora: despite having strong ties in Spain, his Cuban nationality turned out to be the determining factor for the denial.
"I was very confident because if they asked me questions that I thought they would ask, I have roots in Spain, meaning my life is here, and I have a 10-year-old son whom I left with my husband," she explained in the video.
The woman has permanent employment, a house in her name, a husband, and established residency in the country. Her intention was to travel to the U.S. for just one week to visit her mother and sisters, with clear plans to return.
However, the consular interview did not follow the script she anticipated. "Friend, they only asked me if I was working and nothing else; I was left in shock because you go in with one expectation and in the end, they ask you something completely different," she recounted. The official did not inquire about her connections in Spain or her reasons for returning; instead, the questions focused on Cuba.
"I thought this was about proving that you want to return, and I was asking myself things about Cuba," she added, looking visibly puzzled.
The pattern you describe is not coincidental. Since June 9, 2025, a presidential proclamation from the Trump administration suspended the issuance of B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas for Cuban nationals, with very limited exceptions: lawful permanent residents, holders of diplomatic visas, and immediate family members of U.S. citizens. The measure affects Cubans regardless of their country of residence, even if they are legally living in Europe.
Cuba also does not participate in the ESTA visa waiver program, which closes that alternative route even for Cubans with dual European nationality. Those who have traveled to the Island since January 12, 2021, also cannot use that mechanism, even if they hold a passport from a participating country in the waiver program.
The drama of Cuban families separated by denied visas has intensified since these restrictions were implemented, and the case of this woman illustrates how the tightening of migration policies affects even those who have established lives outside of Cuba.
Far from giving up, the protagonist of the video announced that she will try again. "They are going to get tired of me, I will be back very soon," she stated, and called on other Cubans living in Spain to share what questions they were asked in their own consular interviews and whether they received approval: "I want you to tell me what you did, because I want to go to the United States and I don't want to stay, I have my life here."
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