Info for Cuban immigrants or visiters to Canada

John......yes I think it is the same in every country though the monthly charges may differ slightly , maybe depending on the value of that country's currency. Still, I know of no other country where you have to remit a monthly amount to your country's embassy while you're visiting a foreign country. Imagine if you were in Cuba for 4 to 6 months and had to send your embassy there a monthly fee. Its been 5 years since I applied in Canada for a letter of invitation but it was around $220 plus $32 if you wanted a rush job. In Canada it can take up to 3 months.....in Nueva Gerona we were in and out of the office for $140cuc , a couple of $5 cup stamps, in under an hour.....and its good for a year.

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<hr> you have to remit a monthly amount to your country's embassy while you're visiting a foreign country<hr></blockquote>

??

As far as I know, you don't have to remit the money monthly, but pay the whole amount to the consulate before the Cuban heads back to Cuba.

Rickie, Rogerio was reassigned about two years ago and replaced by Paquito. This guy is really funny and one hell of a hard worker during the trailer packings. I wish our diplomats worked as hard for us as he does. You will like this guy as he is easily approachable and tells the best Cuban jokes.

Rainbow, thanks for the info. Maybe our paths will cross at one of the Cuban festival this summer. Keep up the good work.

What Caney reports in post 11 was my experience in the Bahamas. Just pay one lump sum before you get on the plane.

Rainbow, I know sizes count and the containers could very well benefit a thousand Cubans one way or another but don’t you get a personal satisfaction knowing you gave one Cuban a hand-up in life one on one compared to giving a thousand faceless Cubans a T-shirt or bra? Perhaps I am becoming immune to helping the masses or of the mass killing.

I get personal satisfaction BOTH ways Rickie. The two ways of helping are not mutually exclusive. But I will admit.... giving away bras definately has it's advantages. :) :) :) Somebody has to make sure they fit right. HeHeHe!!!!
All kidding aside.... I get so much stuff dropped off here and donated, I could not possible drag it all down in my suitcases. Finding Johnnie D was an absolute stroke of luck for me.

Bahama....Where do you pay the lump sum? She should be able to get on the plane with just her permanent res card and a plane ticket, no? Then when she checks thru at immigration in Cuba, that's when it seems she would have to pay to enter the country since she will not have a tourist card....or maybe she has to send the money to the toronto cuban consulate and get a receipt.
Its possible that all will be clarified when we receive confirmation that she is registered. For the record, things move pretty fast on the canadian side.....we applied at a government office in Winnipeg for a social security number and got that in the mail in less than two weeks, and she got her permanent re card in three weeks.

The $64 CAD sounds like the monthly fee to extend the PVE. Back in 1998 the fee for the US was $150 p/month. I believe the reason you are having to jump through so many hoops is that your girlfriend is not eligilble for the PRE and yet she still wants to maintain her full status in Cuba. That requires you to go through the PVE exit visa process each time she wants to visit Cuba and return to Canada.

Until there is some dramatic change in Cuban law or you decide to formally marry, you are stuck with this situation. If she decided to allow the PVE to laspse, she would fall into the permanent migrant status. She could still return to Cuba to visit with a Habilitated passport, but she would not be able to stay more than sixty days at a time.

Hey Posh

You pay at the Consulate when you overnight in Toronto on your way back to Cuba ( Hotel + AC's stop over surcharge . . . . . .) Probably two nights for you, the way the schedules work.

I would contact them about sending the fee and the passport by courier, don't know if that will work though.

Once we had a gal pal of my wifes take her passport and the $$$ to the consulate in Nassau when the gal pal was paying her tax. So in the Bahamas at least, the passport did not have to be presented in person.

Also remember that the Canadian Res means nothing to Cuba, once she is in Cuba is is a Cuban national, period. Of course they will demand to see her Canadian Residence it as part of the PVE application process.

Getting married is starting to look cheaper eh ? ; )