Biden relaxes his predecessor Trumps Cuba course

Biden relaxes his predecessor Trump’s Cuba course

US President Joe Biden has significantly eased his predecessor Donald Trump’s policy towards Cuba. Image: AP

In the future, it should be easier for Cubans to obtain visas. Money transfers and American travel to the island should also be simplified.

US President Joe Biden is opening a new chapter in Cuban politics and correcting the hard path taken by his predecessor, Donald Trump. The US will ease some Trump-era restrictions on remittances to loved ones and speed up visa processing for Cubans, administration officials said on Monday. Up to 20,000 visas for Cubans must be issued annually. As part of Trump’s review of measures, the limit on remittances to relatives, previously limited to $1,000 per quarter, will be lifted and donations to non-family members will be approved. “We will ensure that remittances to the Cuban people flow more freely, without enriching those who commit human rights abuses,” the officials said. US companies and citizens will remain prohibited from doing business with companies that are on the sanctions list for ties to the Cuban government or military. Traveling to the island should also be simplified.

During his tenure, Trump withdrew most of the easing measures his predecessor, Barack Obama, had taken against the communist-ruled Caribbean state.