Uruguay adopts new permanent residency route to aid thousands of Cuban migrants
Uruguay signed a decree that will open a permanent-residency track for more than 30,000 migrants, most of them Cubans, beginning in January.
Uruguay's government enacted a decree that will launch a permanent-residency channel for over 30,000 immigrants stuck in legal limbo, with Cuban migrants forming the bulk of the pending asylum pool. The law, signed by the executive, becomes operative 90 days after publication and will allow the National Migration Directorate to schedule appointments, granting an initial 12-month application window that can be extended in exceptional cases.
To qualify, migrants must have entered legally before Jan. 1, either withdraw a pending asylum request or have it rejected, and demonstrate employment and financial independence. A temporary identity document will be issued during the review process. The move responds to a backlog that grew to 30,000 cases after Uruguay received more than 16,000 asylum applications in 2025, and follows historically low asylum approvals for Cubans, with only two granted in 2025.
Why it matters
The decree could regularize thousands of Cuban migrants in Uruguay, easing a growing asylum backlog and shaping regional migration flows.
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