US spouse visa for Cuban nationals
Current status: immigrant visas are suspended
Cuba is on the partial suspension list of the presidential proclamation that took effect on 1 January 2026. The partial list is narrower than the full one, but it still covers all immigrant visas, along with B-1 and B-2 visitor visas and the F, M and J student and exchange categories.
That matters because the CR-1 and IR-1 spouse visas are immigrant visas. The categorical exception that previously protected immediate family immigrant visas was removed on the same date, so a Cuban spouse of a United States citizen cannot currently be issued one.
This page sets out what the suspension does, what is still worth doing, and what the route involves for when it changes.
What the suspension does and does not do
The proclamation restricts the issuing of visas and entry to the United States. It does not invalidate your marriage and it does not cancel an approved petition.
Your spouse can still file the I-130. You can still complete the DS-260 and submit documents to the National Visa Center. An interview may still be scheduled. What happens at the end is that the application is paused rather than approved, and it stays paused until the suspension is lifted or an exception is granted.
Who is not affected
The suspension applies to people who were outside the United States without a valid visa on the effective date. Outside it are:
Anyone already holding a valid US visa issued before that date, which was not revoked.
Lawful permanent residents of the United States.
Dual nationals travelling on a passport from a country that is not on either suspension list. Cubans who also hold Spanish citizenship through the ley de nietos, or another second nationality, should look at this closely, because it is the most commonly overlooked way out of the suspension.
People already admitted to the United States as refugees or granted asylum.
Anyone granted a case by case national interest exception, which is discretionary and made through the post handling the case.
Where Cuban cases are processed
Cuban immigrant visa processing has moved between posts in recent years. Cases were handled in Georgetown, Guyana for a period, and immigrant visa processing has since resumed at the US Embassy in Havana.
Since November 2025 the State Department has also required applicants to interview in their country of residence or nationality, with transfers managed centrally by the National Visa Center, which has narrowed the ability to choose a third country post. Rely on the appointment letter rather than on what applied to someone else’s case a year ago.
Should you still file
For most couples, yes, with clear expectations.
The petition stage takes many months regardless, and a case that is approved and documentarily qualified is in a far stronger position on the day restrictions change than one that has not been started. Restrictions of this kind have been amended and narrowed before.
What filing will not do is produce a visa while the suspension is in force, so do not make irreversible plans around one.
Who can apply, when the route is open
You can apply if you are legally married to a United States citizen and the marriage is valid where it took place. Marriages in Cuba are registered with the Registro del Estado Civil, and the certificate is issued from that register.
Both spouses must have been free to marry, with a divorce decree or death certificate for any earlier marriage.
The sponsor must be a United States citizen. Spouses of green card holders fall into the F2A category instead. Many Cuban American sponsors obtained residence through the Cuban Adjustment Act and naturalised later, so check the sponsor’s current status.
Financial requirement
The sponsor signs Form I-864, the affidavit of support, which is enforceable against them in court.
Household income must be at least 125 percent of the federal poverty guidelines: $27,050 for a household of two in the contiguous states. Shortfalls can be covered with assets worth three times the gap, or with a joint sponsor. Active duty military sponsors need only 100 percent.
Documents to prepare now
If the suspension lifts, the case moves on the documents you already hold, so assembling them now is time well spent.
Marriage and birth certificates come from the Registro del Estado Civil, legalised as required for use abroad. Older records sometimes have to be reconstructed at the municipal office where the event was registered, which is slow and worth starting early.
A certificate of no criminal record is issued by the Ministry of Justice and legalised. It has a limited validity, so this one is better left until a case is actually moving.
The full list for a Cuban applicant is:
- Valid Cuban passport, with any required extensions
- Marriage certificate from the Registro del Estado Civil
- Birth certificate from the Registro del Estado Civil
- Divorce decree or death certificate for any previous marriage
- Certificate of no criminal record from the Ministry of Justice
- Court and prison records if ever arrested or convicted
- Military records if you have served
- Sponsor’s proof of US citizenship
- Sponsor’s federal tax return, W-2 forms and recent pay stubs
- Completed Form I-864 with supporting evidence
- Medical examination results from an approved panel physician
- Two US visa format photographs
- Relationship evidence covering the whole relationship
- Certified English translations of Spanish documents
Keep building relationship evidence throughout. Evidence created as the relationship goes along is always stronger than evidence assembled afterwards, and the officer will still be assessing it whenever the case is finally decided.
Costs
- Form I-130: $625 online, $675 on paper
- Immigrant visa application fee (DS-260): $325
- Affidavit of support review fee: $120
- Medical examination: typically $200 to $400, more if completed outside Cuba
- Document legalisation and certificates: local fees
- USCIS Immigrant Fee after the visa is issued: $235
Verify current amounts on the USCIS and Department of State websites before paying.
FAQs
My wife already has a valid immigrant visa. Is it cancelled?
No. Visas issued before the effective date were not revoked. She should travel before it expires.
I am Cuban but I also hold a Spanish passport. Does the suspension apply to me?
If you travel on a passport from a country that is not on either list, you fall outside the suspension. Take advice on how to present it, but it is a genuine exception and a common one for Cuban applicants.
Is this the same as the Cuban Family Reunification Parole Program?
No. That is a separate route allowing certain beneficiaries of approved petitions to travel before an immigrant visa is available. Its status changes, so check current guidance rather than assuming it is open.
My spouse came to the US as a Cuban parolee. Can they sponsor me?
Once they hold permanent residence or citizenship, yes. A permanent resident sponsor puts the case in the F2A queue rather than the immediate relative category.
Should we still get married and file?
The proclamation restricts visa issuance, not marriage or filing. Most couples do file, on the understanding that the final step is paused.
How long will the suspension last?
There is no fixed end date. The lists have been revised more than once and may be again.