The temporary residence permits granted by Jamaica to Cuban citizens increased by 60% over five years, rising from 374 in the fiscal year 2021-2022 to 601 in 2025-2026, amid the prolonged economic crisis and exodus affecting Cuba.
The data was obtained by The Sunday Gleaner through a request under the Access to Information Act to the Passport, Immigration, and Citizenship Agency of Jamaica (PICA).
The growth was not constant. After 374 permits in 2021-2022, approvals rose to 435 in 2022-2023, fell to 297 the following year, and then increased again to 421 in 2024-2025 and 601 in the last fiscal year, the highest figure in the analyzed period.
If other migration categories are also considered—such as work permits, waivers, permanent residence, and unconditional landings—the number of authorizations and stay extensions granted to Cubans increased from 940 to 1,214 between 2021-2022 and 2025-2026.
The increase coincides with one of the largest exoduses in Cuba's recent history, marked by prolonged blackouts, shortages of food and medicines, and a sustained decline in public services. According to data from the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI), Cuba lost over 245,000 residents due to net emigration in 2025, which is approximately 2.5% of its population.
Jamaican records also reveal other aspects of this migratory flow. Three Cubans applied for refugee status in Jamaica in 2025, and another four have done so since the beginning of 2026. Conversely, 12 citizens from the island were deported last year—11 for illegal entry and one for overstaying their authorized period of stay—and another nine have been expelled since January.
Among the Cubans who have made Jamaica their new home is Rachel Martínez, a 36-year-old with Jamaican grandparents. She arrived in Kingston in 2016 after studying law in Cuba, later obtained Jamaican citizenship, and currently works in the hotel industry.
A visit to Cuba at the end of 2024 allowed him to witness the deterioration of living conditions that his own parents are also experiencing.
"The quality of life there is practically nonexistent. The healthcare system we were so proud of years ago is very deficient. They have nothing. Right now, healthcare in Jamaica is literally better than that in Cuba," Martínez stated to The Sunday Gleaner.
His mother survived cancer, and his father is recovering from a stroke. Martínez reported that he pays for private medical services in Cuba so they can receive care and that he has to send basic supplies from abroad, such as needles, cotton, and catheter bags.
To deliver them, he turns to a WhatsApp group made up of Cubans living in Jamaica and to courier companies based in Miami.
Martínez directly attributes the decline in living conditions to the Cuban authorities.
"The Cuban people are suffering, and the sad part is that it only affects them, because those in the government do not suffer alongside the people. They have cars, they have electricity, they have access to everything. They can travel. So, whatever ideology they cling to, it undoubtedly only benefits them," he stated.
The increasing presence of Cubans in Jamaica also coincides with the restrictions imposed by the Donald Trump administration on migration to the United States. According to Martínez, some of his fellow countrymen view the Caribbean country as a stopover while they wait for an opportunity to continue on to U.S. territory.
"There are thousands of Cubans here, especially because Trump has tightened measures at the southern border. Many are here waiting for Trump to leave so they can head to the United States," he stated.
PICA's data shows that, while hundreds of thousands of Cubans continue to leave the island, Jamaica has gained prominence as a temporary or permanent destination for a portion of that emigration.
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