Wednesday, June 30, 2004

Travel Restrictions

Here it goes my fellow Cubans, the new retrictions:

New U.S. rules take effect Wednesday for U.S. residents visiting and making cash remittances to Cuba:

CASH REMITTANCES: Up to $300 per quarter can be sent to relatives in Cuba, but now limited to immediate family: children, spouses, siblings, parents, grandparents, grandchildren. No longer allowed for cousins, aunts, uncles. No money may be sent to government or Communist Party officials.

VISITS TO CUBA: Travelers limited to 44 pounds in luggage and $300 in cash, down from previous $3,000. May spend only $50 a day in Cuba, down from $167. Visits limited to 14, compared to previous no limit.

PURCHASES: Travelers cannot bring back merchandise acquired in Cuba, except for informational materials such as books. Previous rules allowed $100 in total purchases for personal use.

EDUCATIONAL VISITS: Now must last at least 10 weeks, although college employees and graduate students doing independent research can stay shorter periods. High school students no longer allowed to study in Cuba.

"FULLY HOSTED" TRAVEL: Now barred. That category previously let U.S. citizens visit if they could prove they did not spend any money while in Cuba.




1 comment:

Anonymous said...

There is no easy solution to deal with the island of Cuba. People are suffering and will continue to fall under the spell of deceit and isolation with no hope or future to look upon. When the Cuban people start to look at the island from far away they cry for help and protection for love ones left behind. Through the eyes of those who have been blind there is plenty of light and hope for the people of Cuba. But there is no solution materialistic or spiritually that will liberate the hunger and the oppression of a country that floats as an island left to die. Politicians play with words and laws as a way to appease its people as election approaches. But who will suffer if not the people of Cuba and not the so call government. Once again we as Cubans are been played by the government of the United States of America with a policy that will only bring added hardship to a country that is at the brinks of collapse. Congratulations George W. Bush on playing with the ignorance of the Cubans that have no idea what you stand for and yet they consider themselves republicans and you as a great president. Anyway we will wait for the results and watch you laze as you have done with the war and your weapons of mass destructions.