Visa Department: Guantanamo Bay and Cuban Citizenship

visa department: Rodriguez said the foreign ministry will authorize the entry and exit of expatriate Cubans through two tourist ports and allow the return of nationals who left the country illegally, except those who departed from the U.S. Naval base at Guantanamo Bay, according to Metro News. He also said the children of Cubans residing outside the country and those born in foreign countries will be able to obtain Cuban citizenship and identification documents. Speaking to a group of Cubans residing in the United States, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said the new rules go into effect as of Jan. 1, and blamed the United States for creating unjust obstacles in its visa department by expelling Cuban embassy personnel. The government of the United States closes and Cuba opens doors, Rodriguez said. Rodriguez said that by reducing its diplomatic presence and suspending the issue of visas in Havana, Washington was hurting the ability of Cuban families to visit their relatives in the U.S. He said the new requirement that Cubans must travel to the U.S. consulate in Colombia to handle their visas through personal interviews represents an insurmountable obstacle in many cases. Cuba's government relaxed its migration policy in 2013, when it cancelled the requirement that island residents apply for an exit permit to travel abroad. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.