In 2024, 3,081 Cubans benefited from a total of 50,000 visas for citizens of more than 50 countries
14ymedio, Havana, 28 September 2024 — The United States Government decided to exclude Cubans from the Diversity Visas (DV) migration program for the 2026 fiscal year, due to the increase in the flow of migrants from the Island in recent years. No Cuban will be able to participate in the call that will open between October 2 and November 5 for the well-known “bombo.”
“For the DV-2026 visa, natives of the following countries and areas are not eligible to apply, because more than 50,000 natives of these countries emigrated to the United States in the previous five years,” the State Department explained in the call for the program before listing Cuba along with Mexico, China, Haiti and Venezuela, among others.
Washington also stressed that, “with the exception of Cuba,” which is not eligible for the DV-2026, “there were no changes” in the list of eligible countries with respect to the call for the previous fiscal year.
With this decision Cuba joins countries such as Mexico, China, Haiti and Venezuela, which are banned from the program
The Visa Lottery is a mechanism used by thousands of Cubans to emigrate legally and permanently to the United States, at least since 1995 when it was launched after the Immigration Act of 1990. It offers just over 50,000 visas annually, which are awarded at random among all applicants from more than 50 countries.
Cubans had participated in the program uninterruptedly. In 2015, rumors circulated of a possible decrease or cancellation of the program for migrants from the Island, due to the re-establishment of relations between Washington and Havana.
With the exception of Cuba, “there were no changes” in the list of eligible countries with respect to the call of the previous fiscal year, Washington explained
In the 2024 Visa Lottery, a total of 3,081 Cubans were selected in the draw, a number that represents more than double those who were selected in 2022, when the United States granted the benefit to 1,358 Cubans. On that occasion, the Island became the country that contributed the most winners in Latin America.
The results of the 2025 Diversity Visa program, which included Cubans, have been published online since May 4. Cubans who registered between October 4 and November 7, 2023 are hoping to be selected for one of the 55,000 visas offered.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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