Fleeing Cuba, finding Jamaica
There is a quiet surge in the number of Cubans seeking temporary residence in Jamaica, with approvals by the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) increasing by 60 per cent over the last five years. Official PICA data obtained by The Sunday Gleaner through the Access to Information (ATI) Act reveals that temporary residence permits granted to Cubans rose from 374 in the 2021-2022 financial year to 601 in 2025-2026. The steady upward trajectory was marked by 435 approvals in 2022-2023, 297 in 2023-2024, and 421 in 2024-2025.