
Castro eases Cuba travel restrictions
CUBA TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS. Cuban president Raul Castro is easing travel restrictions for Cubans, throwing overboard the former rule that residents needed invitation from a foreign state in order to travel abroad, news agencies reported on Monday.
However, besides a passport, Cubans still often would need a foreign visa issued for the intended travel destination, let alone an air ticket — an obstacle that can be hard to overcome in a nation where people make an average $19 a month, according to Bloomberg News.
In addition, Bloomberg also reported, not everyone will be allowed to take advantage of the new rules, which enable Cubans to stay abroad for two years, up from 11 months previously. The Castro government, in announcing the changes last October, said that it can prevent Cubans from leaving the island for national security reasons and “to preserve the human capital created by the revolution,” Bloomberg News reported.