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| US visa-free residency for Cubans ‘ends’ | US visa-free residency for Cubans ‘ends’ |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| President Barack Obama has ended the longstanding policy that grants residency to Cubans who arrive in the US without visas, US media report. | President Barack Obama has ended the longstanding policy that grants residency to Cubans who arrive in the US without visas, US media report. |
| The 20-year-old policy allows Cuban migrants who reach US soil to become legal permanent residents after a year. | The 20-year-old policy allows Cuban migrants who reach US soil to become legal permanent residents after a year. |
| In exchange, Havana has agreed to start accepting Cubans who are turned away or deported from the US. | In exchange, Havana has agreed to start accepting Cubans who are turned away or deported from the US. |
| The move comes as President Obama tries to continue the thawing of relations with Cuba in his final days of office. | The move comes as President Obama tries to continue the thawing of relations with Cuba in his final days of office. |
| It is unclear where relations between the two countries will go now. | It is unclear where relations between the two countries will go now. |
| His successor, President-elect Donald Trump, has taken a much tougher stance and could reverse the change. | His successor, President-elect Donald Trump, has taken a much tougher stance and could reverse the change. |
| Until now, this so-called "wet foot, dry foot" policy has applied solely to Cubans. | Until now, this so-called "wet foot, dry foot" policy has applied solely to Cubans. |
| Other immigrants who come to the US without a visa could be arrested and deported. | Other immigrants who come to the US without a visa could be arrested and deported. |
| An extraordinary period of change: analysis by Will Grant, BBC News, Havana | |
| There have been two key parts to Washington's policy towards Cuba for decades - a carrot and a stick. The stick is the US economic embargo on the island - that can't be removed without the approval of Congress. | |
| But the carrot that has been dangled before Cubans is a special immigration right known as "wet foot, dry foot". Under that policy, Cubans who manage to get a single dry foot on US soil have the right to residency without a visa and can apply for citizenship. | |
| The Cuban government blames the measure for the brain drain on the island and for encouraging thousands of people to risk their lives each year in attempts to make it to the US on rickety rafts. | |
| In the US itself, it has also provoked anger among other Latin-American lobby groups who feel the policy unfairly favours Cubans and grants them an immigration status well above that of other Latinos. | |
| The latest wave of Cubans trying to reach the US are economic migrants like any other in the region, they argue, and not political refugees. | |
| With the recent thaw in relations between Washington and Havana, it always seemed likely that the policy had its days numbered - why provide an extra incentive to Cuba's people to escape if the communist island it it's no longer your enemy? | |
| The Obama administration decision to remove the long-standing measure is probably its last act in an extraordinary period of change under the outgoing president. |