Uruguay approves permanent residency pathway for Cubans in legal limbo

The Uruguayan government has approved a special decree to create a new pathway to permanent residency starting in January 2027 for more than 30,000 immigrants currently in legal limbo. UPI, Yahoo, CiberCuba, and CubaHeadlines all report on the new residency measures. The executive branch signed the decree on Thursday to address the growing backlog of asylum applications. [1][2][3][4]

According to UPI, the new decree is expected to benefit a large number of Cuban migrants. Figures previously released by Deputy Foreign Minister Valeria Csukasi, who leads the Refugee Commission, show that Cubans account for 89 percent of all pending asylum cases in the country. [1]

UPI reported that Uruguay received more than 16,000 asylum applications during 2025. The high volume of requests created a backlog of 30,000 pending cases prior to the signing of the decree. [1]

Naturalization is the legal process where a non-national acquires citizenship after birth, requiring an application and approval from legal authorities. Cubans have an extensive global diaspora exceeding 2 million people, driven by ongoing economic struggles and political conditions on the island. [5][6][8]