The Cuban Family Reunification Program (CFRP) process has been made faster and easier, as the United States Government eliminated the requirement to appear in person for an interview at the US Embassy in La Havana, a process considered one of the longest.
This is part of the modernization measures announced this Wednesday by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)which give priority to online procedures, reducing the number of trips that beneficiaries must make.
In this sense, the measure, which will come into force as of August 11, promises to reduce waiting times.
While the petitioner will still have to undergo a verification interview before being able to enter the US, this will be before a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer at the airport through which they plan to enter the country.
This shares similarities with the program parole humanitarian, another of the options offered by the US to emigrate legally and safely to the territory.
This represents a great advantage, since the eligible beneficiaries will no longer have to be physically on the Island to be able to carry out this process, leaving aside the consular officers of the diplomatic headquarters and depending instead on the CBP officer who receives the Cuban at one of the entry points to the US.
The authorities indicated that most of the processes will be done online, with only two exceptions: the interview before entering the US and “the completion of an examination by a panel doctor abroad.”
The DHS affirms that these changes are executed taking into account several criticisms made by the Cuban and Haitian community in recent years, with the objective of “strengthening the integrity of the investigation and verification standards, as well as promoting family unity.”
Regarding these modifications, the immigration lawyer Willy Allen indicated during an interview with the journalist Daniel Benítez that they are not a relaxation in the measures required to enter the United States, so those in the middle of the process had to follow the steps established by the US government to the letter.
The expert points out that, as with the program of parole humanitarian, CBP can suspend the process and return someone back to the Island in case of detecting anomalies or possible fraud.
