Cubans can travel to the US through a narrow set of legal channels: a temporary visa (usually interviewed at a US embassy in a third country), a family-based immigrant visa, the Cuban Family Reunification Parole Program, or a refugee or asylum claim. A presidential proclamation issued in late 2025 restricts entry for Cuban nationals, and the CHNV parole program that briefly opened a supported-sponsor route was terminated in 2025. What’s left is workable but slower and more expensive than it used to be.
The Current Entry Restriction
A presidential proclamation issued in late 2025 partially suspends entry into the United States for Cuban nationals along with nationals of several other countries.1The White House. Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States It is not a blanket ban. The order carves out categorical exceptions and allows case-by-case waivers, so many Cubans with a valid visa or an approved immigrant petition can still travel. What it does mean is that even a person holding the right paperwork can face additional screening or refusal at the port of entry, and consular officers have more discretion to deny.
Where Cubans Apply for a US Visa
The US Embassy in Havana does not process B-1 or B-2 visa applications. Cubans who need a tourist or business visa have to schedule an interview at a US embassy or consulate in another country.2U.S. Embassy in Cuba. U.S. Embassy Havana to Expand Visa Services to Include Some Work and Exchange Visas; B1/B2 Visa Services Remain Suspended The Havana embassy handles some temporary work and exchange visas, and it processes immigrant visa cases in certain circumstances, but for most other categories Cubans are directed elsewhere. The US Embassy in Georgetown, Guyana serves as the primary post for Cuban immigrant visa interviews.3U.S. Department of State. Cuban Applicants Applying in Georgetown
Traveling to a third country for a visa interview adds real cost: international airfare, lodging, and potentially an extended stay while waiting on an appointment or on administrative processing after the interview.
Temporary Visas
The B-1 visa covers business visits. The B-2 visa covers tourism, family visits, and medical treatment. Since 2019, B-2 visas issued to Cuban nationals have been limited to three months with a single entry, down from five years and multiple entries. Applicants have to show they intend to return to Cuba, have the funds to cover their stay, and have strong ties at home. Because Havana does not process these, the interview happens in a third country.
Students admitted to a US academic program can apply for an F-1 visa, and participants in approved exchange programs can apply for a J-1. Some of these categories can be processed at the Havana embassy if the applicant already has an approved petition or a certificate of eligibility from USCIS.2U.S. Embassy in Cuba. U.S. Embassy Havana to Expand Visa Services to Include Some Work and Exchange Visas; B1/B2 Visa Services Remain Suspended
Whatever the category, admissibility rules apply. A Cuban passport valid for at least six months beyond the planned stay is the starting point. Certain communicable diseases, missing vaccinations, criminal history involving drugs or dishonesty, and past immigration violations like overstays or misrepresentation can bar entry. Some bars can be waived; the waiver adds time and cost.
Family-Based Immigrant Visas
For Cubans hoping to move to the United States permanently, family sponsorship is the most used route. How long it takes depends on the relationship.
Immediate Relatives of US Citizens
Spouses, unmarried children under 21, and parents of US citizens aged 21 or older are immediate relatives.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Green Card for Immediate Relatives of U.S. Citizen There is no annual cap in this category, so the wait is driven by processing time rather than a visa queue. The US citizen files Form I-130 to begin the case.5U.S. Department of State. Family Immigration
Family Preference Categories
More distant relationships fall into capped preference categories, and Cuban applicants routinely wait years:
- F1: unmarried adult children (21 or older) of US citizens
- F2A: spouses and unmarried children under 21 of lawful permanent residents
- F2B: unmarried adult children of lawful permanent residents
- F3: married children of US citizens
- F4: siblings of US citizens
F2A tends to move relatively quickly. F4 sibling cases routinely involve waits over a decade for high-demand countries, and because Cuba sends large numbers of immigrants to the US, backlogs for Cuban applicants in the lower preference categories can be long.
The Cuban Family Reunification Parole Program
The Cuban Family Reunification Parole Program (CFRP), created in 2007, lets eligible US citizens and lawful permanent residents ask the government to parole a Cuban family member into the country before that person’s immigrant visa is available.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The Cuban Family Reunification Parole Program The program is separate from the terminated CHNV process and, as of this writing, remains in effect.
To use CFRP, the US-based petitioner has to meet each of these:7U.S. Embassy in Cuba. Cuban Parole Programs
- Be a US citizen or lawful permanent resident
- Have a Form I-130 approved by USCIS for the Cuban family member
- Have received an invitation from the State Department’s National Visa Center to participate
- The family member’s immigrant visa cannot yet be available
Once paroled in, CFRP beneficiaries can live and work in the United States while the priority date matures. Because entry is through humanitarian parole, many are also eligible to apply for a green card under the Cuban Adjustment Act after a year of physical presence.8U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Green Card for a Cuban Native or Citizen
The CHNV Parole Program No Longer Exists
Between 2022 and early 2025, the Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans, known as CHNV, let a US-based supporter file Form I-134A to sponsor a Cuban for up to two years of parole and work authorization. That program is gone. Executive Order 14165, issued January 20, 2025, directed its termination, and DHS formally ended it on March 25, 2025.9Federal Register. Termination of CHNV Parole Programs Cubans already paroled under CHNV had their parole terminated as of April 24, 2025 unless DHS made an individual determination to extend it.
If you are still in Cuba, CHNV is not an option. If you entered under CHNV and your parole was terminated, talk to an immigration attorney before making plans; a pending family petition or asylum claim may change what happens next, but the answer is fact-specific.
Asylum and Refugee Protection
Cubans can seek protection through refugee status or asylum. Refugee status is for people applying from outside the United States through the US Refugee Admissions Program. Asylum is for people already in the country or presenting themselves at a port of entry.
Both require showing a well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. Given Cuba’s political environment, claims based on political opinion or membership in dissident groups have historically been common grounds.
Asylum has a hard deadline. You must file within one year of your last arrival in the United States.10eCFR. 8 CFR 208.4 – Filing the Application Exceptions exist for changed conditions in Cuba or extraordinary circumstances that prevented timely filing, but you carry the burden of proving them. Missing the one-year deadline is one of the most damaging mistakes in an asylum case.
Asylum applicants can currently apply for work authorization once the case has been pending 150 days, with USCIS able to grant the permit at 180 days. A proposed rule published in February 2026 would extend that waiting period to 365 days.11Federal Register. Employment Authorization Reform for Asylum Applicants That rule was still in public comment as of early 2026 and had not been finalized.
The Cuban Adjustment Act Once You’re Here
The Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966 does not help anyone travel to the United States, but it changes what happens after arrival, so it is worth knowing about before you come. It lets a Cuban national who is physically present in the country apply for a green card after one year, provided they were inspected and admitted or paroled after January 1, 1959, and are admissible or eligible for a waiver.12GovInfo. Public Law 89-732 – To Adjust the Status of Cuban Refugees to That of Lawful Permanent Residents8U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Green Card for a Cuban Native or Citizen It applies whether you entered on a visa, through a port of entry, or on humanitarian parole; the type of entry matters for eligibility, so keep every piece of your entry paperwork.
Programs Cubans Cannot Use
The Diversity Visa Lottery is not available to Cubans. Cuba is excluded because it sends more than 50,000 immigrants to the United States over the qualifying five-year period, which automatically disqualifies a country under the program’s rules.13U.S. Department of State. DV-2026 Selected Entrants
Employment-based green cards are technically available. A Cuban with a US employer willing to sponsor them can go through the EB categories on the same track as any other foreign worker. In practice, the job offer, the labor certification process, and the current entry restriction on Cuban nationals make this a difficult route for people still in Cuba.
Costs to Plan For
Government filing fees add up before anything else. Form I-485, the green card application, is $1,440 for applicants over 14 and $950 for children under 14 filing with a parent.14U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1055 Fee Schedule Form I-130 has its own fee. Fee waivers exist for some forms, tied to household income.
The required immigration medical exam (Form I-693) generally runs $175 to $700 depending on where you have it done, not counting any vaccinations you still need. Immigrant visa applicants must complete the exam with an authorized panel physician and show required vaccinations, which include hepatitis A, hepatitis B, measles, mumps, rubella, polio, tetanus, influenza, varicella, and others.15U.S. Department of State. Vaccinations Certified Spanish-to-English translations of Cuban documents are needed for almost every filing and generally cost $20 to $45 per page. Add third-country travel for the visa interview, and add attorney fees if you hire one. A straightforward case can easily reach several thousand dollars in out-of-pocket costs, and a complicated one costs considerably more.