(credit: Photo by Gary Raynaldo) / ©Diplomatic Times / United States Embassy in Havana, Cuba.
By Gary Raynaldo DIPLOMATIC TIMES
The United States announced it will increase its staff at its embassy in Havana, Cuba after years of operating with a skeleton crew that created a large backlog of Visa applications. In 2017, then-President Trump closed the U.S. Embassy for Consular services. Unexplained health incidents known as the “Havana Syndrome” that affected diplomatic personnel and their families caused a reduction in staff. Cubans have requested President Biden to reopen the United States Embassy in Cuba to conduct immigration procedures. Cubans must travel to Guyana to carry out immigration procedures, to enter the United States. The Embassy’s top diplomat, Timothy Zuñiga-Brown, announced Thursday during a press conference in Havana that the Embassy will initiate limited resumption of some immigrant visa services, as part of the broader expansion of the Embassy’s functions to facilitate diplomatic and civil society engagement and to expand the provision of consular services. Cubans with families and loved ones in America are angry at the Visa delays and are pinning hopes on Biden to reopen the U.S. Embassy in Cuba for Consular procedures. With the Visa processing transferred to Guyana, most Cubans are unable to afford the high cost of traveling to Georgetown, Guyana.
Chargé d’Affaires Timothy Zúñiga-Brown at U.S. Embassy Havana, Cuba. (Credit: cu.usembassy.gov)
Ambassador Zuñiga-Brown said as the U.S. Embassy works toward the goal of having adequate counselor staffing, Embassy Georgetown in Guyana will remain the primary processing location for Cuban immigrant visa applicants. In addition to the resumption of some immigrant visa services, Embassy Havana’s Consular Section will continue to provide essential American Citizens Services and limited emergency non-immigrant visa processing.
“During the transition period, the National Visa Center will schedule applicants for appointments at either the U.S. Embassy in Havana or at the U.S. Embassy in Georgetown, Guyana, depending on operational needs. Processing of applicants at Embassy Georgetown will continue. Applicants do not need to contact the Embassies in Havana or in Georgetown as they will be notified directly with their appointment information. Immigrant visa services serve as a safe and legal pathway for family reunifications. The U.S. Embassy in Havana looks forward to scheduling limited appointments for some categories of immigrant visas as soon as feasible, while also prioritizing all routine services to U.S. citizens, such as passport services, Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) applications, and voting services.”
-The U.S. Embassy in Cuba said in a statement
Ambassador Zúñiga-Brown assumed charge of the United States Embassy-Havana on July 31st, 2020. Zúñiga-Brown previously served as the Coordinator of the Department of State’s Office of the Coordinator for Cuban Affairs. During his three decades diplomatic career, he has been stationed at U.S. embassies around the world and at the State Department. In the Western Hemisphere, he served as Consul General at the U.S. Consulate General in Monterrey, Mexico; he was Deputy Chief of Mission in Ecuador, and was also posted to The Bahamas, Peru and Panama. He also served in South Africa, and New Zealand.
