The U.S. Embassy in Havana has announced the resumption of immigrant visa services this Wednesday. In a post on X, the diplomatic mission clarified that appointments postponed in November due to Hurricane Rafael and power outages have now been rescheduled.
The embassy stated, "Document Review Services resumed on November 20, and visa interviews have been back on track since the week of November 25." They are directly contacting applicants who were initially scheduled between November 4 and 22 to inform them of their new interview dates, and they request that people refrain from calling the embassy.
Earlier in November, the U.S. Embassy in Cuba had suspended "all routine services for immigrant and non-immigrant visas (including interviews and document reviews)" planned for that month, with a promise to reschedule them. During the period from November 12 to 15, the embassy provided only emergency services to U.S. citizens, citing "the current instability of the national power grid and recovery efforts following Hurricane Rafael." Routine services, visas, and other appointments were to be automatically rescheduled.
Additionally, the embassy communicated that they would reach out directly to applicants to arrange new appointments soon. The temporary suspension of services was announced on November 11, when the embassy also remained closed in observance of Veterans Day, a federal holiday in the United States.
The delay in consular services has sparked concern and frustration among many Cubans affected by the postponements. It was later revealed that the limitations on consular services were due to a voluntary departure authorization from the U.S. State Department for its locally hired employees and eligible family members, prompted by Hurricane Rafael's impact on Havana.