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During the current fiscal year, the United States Government has granted only 2,414 tourist visas to Cubans. This figure represents the most drastic reduction over the last two decades, when the US Embbady in Havana received about 20,000 requests a year.
The number of B-1 and B-2 visas granted to nationals Cubans correspond to the first eight months of fiscal year 2018-October 2017 to May 2018 and 83% were granted to American consulates in outside Cuba according to the data of the State Department to which he had access ] Martí Noticias
According to the portal, there has been no decrease in this scale of visitor for Cubans since 1997, while only 5,829 were granted in both categories of travel.
This trend seems to remain unchanged given the almost nil consular activity at the American embbady after the diplomatic crisis triggered by the "acoustic attacks" that caused health problems to 26 US officials.
A senior State Department official also said that the issue of visa processing for Cuban nationals should be on the table of migratory negotiations between Cuba and the United States, which will take place Wednesday in Washington.
Martí Noticias that, as nationals of other countries, Cubans can apply for visas from visitors in any US embbady or consulate around the world, but they insist on the fact that they must be physically present in the country "On request."
Last Monday, the Cuban government accused the Trump administration of obstructing the 1994-1995 migration agreements and not to respect the commitment to grant 20,000 annual visas to immigrants.
Yuri Gala López, an official of the United States Department of Foreign Affairs in Cuba, affirmed that ACN affirms that, on the other hand, the government of Díaz-Canel rigorously fulfills the migratory agreements signed with the country of the north.
The figures collected by Martí Noticias show that, of the total of the visas visitors granted since oc lastly, 158 belong to category B-1 (professionals, academics, cultural exchanges and companies); 1,178 as B-2 (family visits) and 1,078 with the double rank of B-1 / B-2. Of this total, only 424 were processed at the Embbady of Havana
The cultural exchange and business travel requests were the most affected, with a 28% drop by in relation to the total number of B-1 and two-tier (B-1 / B2) visas that were delivered last year (4,423).
According to the report, Cuba currently ranks second among more than 200 countries with the highest percentage of rejected visa applications. visit, 77.17%. This figure is only overtaken by the Republic of Palau at 83.3%.
State Department figures indicate that of the 71,310 applications submitted by Cuban nationals in 2017, 54,975 were refused.
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