Five years after they were suspended due to a string of unexplained health incidents among its staff, the US Embassy in Cuba has resumed offering visa services.
The majority of Cubans attempting to contact family members in the US will likely receive at least 20,000 visas annually.
Reopening occurs as one of Cuba's worst economic crises and a record-breaking exodus from the island take place.
The scope of consular services was severely constrained during the Trump Administration.
The facilities were shut down in 2017 as a result of reports of unexplained health incidents among embassy staff members, which later came to be known as the "Havana Syndrome.".
Prior to being reported in other parts of the world, the syndrome was first noticed among US intelligence officers and diplomats in the Havana embassy, who first started complaining of a variety of strange symptoms about seven years ago.
Although many illnesses' underlying theories have been disproven, their precise causes are still unknown.
For thousands of Cubans who are anxious to visit their families in Florida and other parts of the US, the news of the resumed visa services, announced last week by the embassy, will be welcome news.
The move comes as the rate of immigration from Cuba to the US is at an all-time high. According to a bilateral agreement, the US will grant Cubans at least 20,000 visas each year.
However, that only makes up a small portion of those who are leaving or attempting to leave. The number of Cubans who entered the US illegally last year was estimated at around 225,000 by border officials.
In the years after President Barack Obama had loosened the same regulations, the Trump Administration imposed a wide range of new economic sanctions on the communist-run island.
The economy in Cuba has been in dire straits recently due to a combination of the coronavirus pandemic's economic downturn and government economic mismanagement.
The US government recently revealed plans to loosen the strict sanctions put in place against Cuba by the late President Trump.
Restrictions on sending money home to family members and visiting the island will be loosened under new policies approved by the Biden administration.
