The US embassy in Havana reopened visa services for Cubans on Wednesday, five years after a series of health incidents drastically cut the number of diplomatic staff.
In September, when plans for expanded services were announced, the embassy said that the primary focus would be on processing “immediate relative, family preference, diversity visa, and K fiancé(e) visa categories”.
The embassy will not, however, be issuing tourist visas for now.
NPR reported that the embassy is expected to issue at least 20,000 visas per year, though the Covid-19 pandemic has created an enormous backlog that has pushed processing back by months and even years.
The reopening of visa processing in the country comes amid a historic level of Cuban migration.
According to official figures, over the past year, about 250,000 Cubans — more than 2 per cent of the island’s 11 million people — have attempted to migrate to the US.
Cuba has become a top contributor to the flow of people attempting to cross the southern US border — something that has become a major political liability for President Joe Biden as well as a wider national security concern.
Migrants on the southern US border — in pictures
The tightening of US sanctions coupled with the devastation wreaked by the pandemic on the country's tourism industry has caused Cuba's economy to go into free fall. Skyrocketing inflation, shortages of goods — including food — and frequent power cuts have caused widespread discontent.
And remittances sent from abroad — which in 2019 reached $3.7 billion and are another vital source of income for Cubans — also largely dried up in recent years, with travel blocked, AFP reported.
Despite election promises, Mr Biden has not reversed the embargo, instead hardening his speech following anti-government protests on the island in July 2021.
Over the course of the pandemic, the number of protests on the island has risen dramatically, with the Cuban Observatory of Conflict reporting more than 2,000 through August 2022 alone — a sign of increasing discontent with the country's communist government.
Havana has passed the blame for the country's woes to its long-time foe, the US — and perhaps with good reason: Since the 1960s, Cuba has been the subject of a stringent trade embargo, with goods including fuel, car parts, fertilisers and many others banned from being shipped to the island.
Cuba, which has campaigned tirelessly at the UN and other international organisations to end the embargo, has claimed that America's actions have cost the island more than $130 billion.
'Sonic attacks'
The reason for the lengthy closing of visa-processing services at the embassy in Havana can be traced back to a series of strange incidents that have baffled doctors and scientists for years.
In 2016, staff at the embassy began reporting hearing a grinding noise, often accompanied by a feeling of pressure or vibration, similar to driving in a car with the window partly open.
The incidents occurred in the staffers' homes or hotel rooms and, in several cases, resulted in lasting health problems, including one diplomat needing a hearing aid, according to CNN.
Theories behind the so-called sonic attacks ranged from orchestrated assaults by the Cuban government using microwaves or pulsed electromagnetic energy to cricket sounds to pesticides, and even mass hysteria.
Regardless of their cause, the incidents caused a major decrease in embassy staff, leading it to close visa processing in the country.
The Cuban government has categorically denied involvement.
'The Art of Diplomacy' with Cuba's ambassador to the UAE — video
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
THE SPECS
Range Rover Sport Autobiography Dynamic
Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 518bhp
Torque: 625Nm
Speed: 0-100kmh 5.3 seconds
Price: Dh633,435
On sale: now
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
'The Sky is Everywhere'
Director:Josephine Decker
Stars:Grace Kaufman, Pico Alexander, Jacques Colimon
Rating:2/5
Fixtures and results:
Wed, Aug 29:
- Malaysia bt Hong Kong by 3 wickets
- Oman bt Nepal by 7 wickets
- UAE bt Singapore by 215 runs
Thu, Aug 30: UAE v Nepal; Hong Kong v Singapore; Malaysia v Oman
Sat, Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong; Oman v Singapore; Malaysia v Nepal
Sun, Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman; Malaysia v UAE; Nepal v Singapore
Tue, Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore; UAE v Oman; Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu, Sep 6: Final
Company%20Profile
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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