Calling All Cuban Couples!! Share your experiences...

[crew1980 1]

Hey All,

My Cuban fiance submitted the necessary dox at his Permiso de Salir interview on August 10. On August 31 they told him that they'll allow him to travel but they must investigate further because I'm an American. So it could be 1, 2, or 3 more weeks before he can depart Cuba.

Please, please Cuban fiance/fiancees, share your experiences on this process to leave Cuba.

What dox do you have to submit?

What questions do you have to answer?

How many times must you meet with the authorities?

How much did you pay for the Tarjeta Blanca?

Did you have to leave your passport with the authorities during this process?

During the first week of the process the authorities actually came out to Salva's house to see who was living there. As if they don't know that at least 3-4 generations live under the same crowded roof in Cuba. They want to make sure you don't own any property when you leave the little island, if you do, they take it out of your name. They also wanted to interview Salva to determine his political views. I don't know if this is standard or new, maybe because of Castro's health status?

Toria and Salvador

[ngant17 1]

Toria,

I will try to keep you updated on my K1 and my fiancee Vilma. My email is ngant17@yahoo.com

and if you can also send me your private email, that would be helpful for me, also.

Vilma just picked up her superpacket at USINT last week, we have 1 year to arrange the paperwork and interview, so we are a little behind in the timeline than you are,

later,

Nathan

Hey All,

My Cuban fiance submitted the necessary dox at his Permiso de Salir interview on August 10. On August 31 they told him that they'll allow him to travel but they must investigate further because I'm an American. So it could be 1, 2, or 3 more weeks before he can depart Cuba.

Please, please Cuban fiance/fiancees, share your experiences on this process to leave Cuba.

What dox do you have to submit?

What questions do you have to answer?

How many times must you meet with the authorities?

How much did you pay for the Tarjeta Blanca?

Did you have to leave your passport with the authorities during this process?

During the first week of the process the authorities actually came out to Salva's house to see who was living there. As if they don't know that at least 3-4 generations live under the same crowded roof in Cuba. They want to make sure you don't own any property when you leave the little island, if you do, they take it out of your name. They also wanted to interview Salva to determine his political views. I don't know if this is standard or new, maybe because of Castro's health status?

Toria and Salvador

[jsnoble 0]

Hi Toria-My fiance is now involved in the exit process, also. Since he was a professional athlete (years ago), he needs his "liberacion" from INDER--unfortunately a rather long process. He received his K1 on August 16 and went the next day to apply for the liberacion. We are still waiting. On that subject, we met in July 2000. Yes, we have seen each other many times, but I am so tired of waiting.

Until the liberacion is secured, he cannot apply for the tarjeta blanca--I think it is $150. He has to give them a police certificate showing that he is not a criminal. He has to get some paper from the CDR in his neighborhood also corroborating his good citizenship or maybe that is the one that "proves" he lives where he says he does. I can't remember. I know he has to have some paper for "vivienda". He has to wait for Migracion (3 weeks-I think this is where you guys are, right?) to send him notice to go back so that he can turn in his libreta para la comida and his carne (not meat, his ID card ) Of course, that takes place after that pleasant, I mean humiliating, visit to his house to liberate him of any property. I think he waits one day and then goes to get the tarjeta blanca. Then, it is ticket time. My plan is to purchase the ticket here and have him pick it up at the Havanatur office. All he needs then is enough CUC for the airport exit tax and he is on the plane. At least, that is my fantasy.

I am concerned to hear that they need to do "further investigation" because you are American. My fiance says this fits with all of things he has heard. "In Cuba, anything that has to do with the U.S. always has a different than might be the case with another country." He studied International Relations in graduate school so he knows this stuff.

Keep in touch. I was so hopeful this would be quick and he would be here by the end of September.

I want to hear how it goes for you both. Ciao--Jody

[1/2Cuban 0]

Hey everybody, I'm a little late jumping on this post but I'm home sick from work today aka finally have time to do my thing!!!!!

My fiance had many complications getting his permiso de salir in May/June 2006. The interview at the Interests Section was great, the interviewer was an American woman who didn't speak much Spanish and was at the end of a long day tossing papers around and cracking jokes. She was more than pleased he was on his way to a destination other than Hialeah and when hearing it was MN was very pleased although she cracked a snow joke.. ha ha haa

So that was the easy part it turns out! He was granted his visa on April 23rd. Next went to local immigration to get permisson to leave the country. since he had a fiance visa, the women at immigration asked if he would be leaving permanently or to visit. She explained if he has a "Carta de Invitacion" as if he was just going to visit (aka the 90 days) he could leave the country as if he was coming back soon (aka he wouldn't have to pay for the medical). So opted to save the $$$ for the medical and we got a letter of invitation from the office in Vedado for $150 ( you can do it in person w/ passport and carnet or allegedly by fax from the US). So with that we applied for premission to leave the country not the carta blanca. And went about our waiting as normal. After a many visits to the office with them saying no not today come back tomorrow and all the drama and suspense that brings. We finally got to the bottom of what was taking so long. He was waiting for the proof of military service papers to come back from military office. so we went to the military office, investigated what the hold up was...... they hadn't recieved them. back to immigration. more run around. Fianlly after 5 weeks got damn paper and were off. Went through Mexico so we could travel together, arrived in Miami (Hialeah) to visit family and then up to MN. On the plane to Mexico he had to turn in his passport and be escorted through security practically to the next flight. They returned his passport to him on the flight to Miami.

We were able to speed the process up, however some friends of ours have had to wait with this come tomorrow come next week bs for up to 6 months, pushing them days before their visas would expire. We were lucky, but none the less stressed!

We were married end of August and are currently filing for AOS. Seems like forever ago we were stuck waiting and waiting and waiting!!! Anyway my recollection of all the details as to what happened in the process is fuzzy, but good luck to you all and if anybody want to know more specifics or what we did, lwt us know we would love to help out.... so much uncertainty especially with immigration to the US!!!

[jsnoble 0]

Thank you for your post. My fiancé and I are still in the middle of this mess. He applied for this letter from the Institute of Sports, etc. for his liberación on August 16th. We are still waiting. He had returned several times. Same old b.s. of which you spoke. The last time he caught the big boss in the hall and asked to speak to him. When the conversation was finished, the upshot was that the boss found my fiancé's personal problems very insignificant in comparision to his "real" work and that he would just have to wait until January when they would begin to look at these applications on a "case by case" basis. When my fiancé showed him his visa and the expiration date, the boss was unmoved. Because he played professional sports (years ago), he was never in the military--so he doesn't have to do what your fiancé did.

My fiancé went to the "judicial office" (corruption central) to complain about this "letter problem" and was told in the famous Cuban way that for $1000, he could have the letter next week. I just talked to the fiancee of a baseball player who got his liberación a few weeks ago under the table for $200. I am trying to hook them up. (I've turned into a Cuban. Resolver, resolver, resolver.)

At any rate, reading your post depresses me even more. He has all of the papers for the carta blanca process, but we have also had this uncertainty about what to ask for. I had left a letter inviting him but since it wasn't notarized, they asked for an enormous amount of money to get it "legalized". Now they say it isn't legal. If he does it with the "salida definitiva", will it take longer? We haven't heard anything about a medical exam. Yikes!!

Can you tell how tired I am of all of this. And broke. Yes, we are really worried the visa may run out before this can be resolved. What happens if the visa runs out? Can it be renewed? Do you know?

I am also curious about why your husband flew to Mexico to fly into the U.S. Don't all Cubans have to pass through Miami to go through Immigration there? It's only a 40 minute flight to Miami from Habana. Were the planes to Miami full? Or were you there? (You don't have to answer that.) What is the cost differential going through Mexico? We will be living in California, so Mexico may be an option. The less time I spend in Miami the better. I would love to hear from you. Waking up every night at 3:30--mind racing--hoping this is over soon.

My fiancé had the same experience at his interview. Very nice American woman who treated him with the utmost respect and efficiency. He's missin' that now.

Thanks so much for writing. Hope to hear more from you soon.

jsn

[Beisbol101 0]

Hey, J, hang in there...we're all in the same boat, so to speak...

As for my SO's experience at the interview, he didn't meet with a woman at all, he met with a man who asked him about a (small!!!) physical disability my SO has, which led to a looong conversation about sports. At the end of the "interview" the man asked him why he wanted to go to the US, he answered, For love! and the man said he was approved. On his way out some woman told him that he was interviewed by the big boss. Pretty funny ;-)

The whole salida definitiva process has been a drag, he says he's being treated like an animal, and I am constantly wondering if we should have done the indefinida thing, but we're too afraid to change now, that may raise some cuban-red-flags (more opportunities to ask for propinas lol). In any case, this has been a learning and bonding experience for us, that's for sure...he's finally getting the to point where even *his* patience is wearing thin.

One thing I was thinking is if they are allowed to fly to Cancun, can they then use JFK as POE and therefore get their working papers right away (didn't someone say JFK does that still)?

Hang in there, I think we are on similar timelines, it will all work out, I am certain of it (at least for this moment lol).

[yala 0]

Hi i have a question and i hope you can help me. Did you get your carta blanca by using a letter of invitation?I read that to get the PVC(permiso de viaje al exterior)you need a letter of invitation. Also, can you please tell me if the PVC is what is known as the Cuban exit visa? I am confused. Thanks for your time.

[maestra_katy 0]

Alguien sabe algo de una carta de liberacion militar y cuanto demora? Mi novio ya hizo su servicio asi q no tiene nada q ver con eso, sino q trabajaba antes en Varadero para una compania q fue corrido por los militares y ahora imigracion le dice q tiene q tener una carta de ellos para poder recibir la carta blanca...