{"id":229037,"date":"2020-10-15T14:16:22","date_gmt":"2020-10-15T18:16:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/?p=229037"},"modified":"2020-10-15T14:16:22","modified_gmt":"2020-10-15T18:16:22","slug":"collection-of-extensions-for-cubans-living-abroad-a-citizen-question","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/nation-and-migration\/collection-of-extensions-for-cubans-living-abroad-a-citizen-question\/","title":{"rendered":"Collection of extensions for Cubans living abroad: a citizen question"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cuban citizens must pay a fee for each month of extension of their stay abroad approved as of October 12, 2020. This has been communicated by <\/span>several consulates<\/span><\/a>, through their web pages, social networks and even through audios sent directly to groups of the Cuban community in each country.<\/span><\/p>\n

So far, there is no official statement regarding this charge, which was not announced in the <\/span>information note<\/span><\/a> released by MINREX on October 9. It only establishes that, due to the measures to combat COVID-19, the extension of the stay abroad is authorized until October 12, 2021, \u201cwithout losing their status as residents in the national territory,\u201d for \u201cCuban and foreign citizens with permanent residence in the national territory who had approved extensions of stay or the term of 24 and 12 months was expired, respectively as of March 19, 2020.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Therefore, the news that this authorization is accompanied by the collection of a monthly fee has been received with surprise in many cases and with displeasure, in general. This is confirmed by several people who spoke with <\/span>OnCuba<\/b>. Leandro, a resident in Argentina, maintains that in his close circle \u201cno one is happy that the Cuban government begins to collect extensions of stay abroad. We were hoping that it wouldn\u2019t happen in a circumstance like this one.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBy God, how outrageous. Why are we to blame for this pandemic? If there are Cubans here who don\u2019t even have enough to feed their children. Giving money to not lose residence in your own country\u2026,\u201d laments a Cuban in a group in which the news was released.<\/span><\/p>\n

With travel restrictions still in place in many parts of the world, and the Havana airport closed with no definite opening date, planning a trip to Cuba in the coming months is impossible or extremely difficult for many people. The free extension of their stay abroad, <\/span>announced on March 19,<\/span><\/a> eased the pressure for a while.<\/span><\/p>\n

Decree Law 302 of 2012, as part of the immigration reform, establishes that the person must enter the country at least once every 24 months to maintain the status of \u201cCuban citizen residing abroad.\u201d After 24 months without traveling to Cuba, an extension may be requested and, with prior approval, the corresponding fee may be paid for each extended month. This fee varies according to the country of residence. Therefore, it is not a new measure, but rather the application of what is established for ordinary circumstances, in an extraordinary situation. A good many of the arguments rejecting the measure is based on this idea.<\/span><\/p>\n

Traveling to Cuba becomes a requirement to preserve rights on the island; Cuban law restricts various citizenship rights to legal residence in the country. For this reason, people often refer to this issue as \u201cmaintaining\u201d or \u201closing rights.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ciudadanos cubanos, la Patria y la Constituci\u00f3n<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n