US ups duration of non-immigrant visas for Cubans

Posted on Wednesday, 07.31.13

US ups duration of non-immigrant visas for Cubans
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration announced Wednesday it is
extending the duration of non-immigrant visas for Cuban travelers from
six months to five years, two weeks after officials from the two
countries resumed long-stalled migration talks.

The change also means Cubans approved for B-2 visas for family visits or
personal travel will be allowed multiple entries, rather than be
required to reapply in person each time they seek to travel to the
United States. B-1 business and B-1/B-2 combination visas will still be
for six months and a single entry.

"The increased visa validity removes procedural and financial burdens on
Cuban travelers," State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said in an
email to The Associated Press.

He added that it will decrease wait times for visa interviews at the
U.S. Interests Section in Havana, which Washington maintains instead of
an embassy because the historic Cold War foes do not have full
diplomatic ties.

Ventrell did not say whether the policy switch was a direct result of
the July 17 migration talks in Washington.

The discussions are supposed to take place every six months. However
they had been on ice since January 2011, as the two countries butted
heads on issues such as the imprisonment of a U.S. government
subcontractor sentenced to 15 years in Cuba.

The resumption of the high-level talks, along with renewed discussions
on reestablishing direct mail service, is among a number of signs of
baby steps toward rapprochement in recent months.

In May, a U.S. judge gave a convicted Cuban intelligence agent the green
light to return to the island even though his parole following a long
prison term on spy charges had not yet ended. And in June, Cuba said it
would allow an American doctor to examine Alan Gross, the jailed
subcontractor.

Meanwhile, Cuba has reformed its own migratory rules, ending an exit
visa requirement in January that had previously been imposed on all
Cubans. Islanders can still be denied passports in some cases, such as
for pending legal cases against them, but a number of the most outspoken
dissidents have been allowed to travel overseas since the reform.

Ventrell said, however, that the change announced Wednesday does not
amount to a significant change in Washington's policy toward Havana.

"The Obama administration believes these measures, in addition to
others, will increase people-to-people contact; support civil society in
Cuba; and enhance the free flow of information to, from, and among the
Cuban people," he wrote.

Source: "WASHINGTON: US ups duration of non-immigrant visas for Cubans -
Politics Wires - MiamiHerald.com" -
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/07/31/3533915/us-ups-duration-of-non-immigrant.html