Kissimmee, Fla. — The Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNV) program implemented by the Biden administration had the intention to reduce irregular migration of people from those countries.

What You Need To Know

  • The Biden administration first launched the sponsorship program in October 2022 to discourage Venezuelans from traveling to the U.S.-Mexico border by offering them a legal way to enter the country if American-based individuals agreed to sponsor them

  • It was then expanded in January 2023 to include migrants from Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua, whose citizens were also crossing the U.S. southern border in record numbers at the time

  • The goal was to provide a safe and orderly pathway to the United States legally for migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela

  • According to the Department of Homeland Security, as of August 2024, more than 530,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela have arrived to the U.S. under the policy

The administration first launched the sponsorship program in October 2022 to discourage Venezuelans from traveling to the U.S.-Mexico border by offering them a legal way to enter the country if American-based individuals agreed to sponsor them.

The program was then expanded in January 2023 to include migrants from Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua, whose citizens were also crossing the U.S. southern border in record numbers at the time.

The goal was to provide a safe and orderly pathway to the United States legally for migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela.

Under the program, the U.S. government may grant advance travel authorization to up to 30,000 noncitizens each month to seek parole on a case-by-case basis under the processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans.

A Venezuelan family in Kissimmee used the program to bring their family over to the U.S. It was a moment they waited for more than a decade, the Arana family welcoming five of their family members from Venezuela here to the United States.

This interview has been translated from Spanish.  

“It was a moment of great happiness, (…) everything turned out well, thank God,” Ali Arana said.

Ali Arana and his wife Amaral have been living in the United States for 12 years. When they first found out about this program, they immediately started the process. 

“As soon as we found out about the humanitarian parole, I spoke to my wife and told her about the possibility of bringing her family members and we did the process,” Ali Arana said.

He said from the moment they applied, it took them approximately a year and a half to get the approval. 

“My wife had not seen her sisters, her brother-in-law, her niece for 12 years and that was like a family reunification after so long because they really had not been able to get the visa,” Ali Arana said.

The program requires people applying to have a financial sponsor in the U.S., pass background vetting and buy a plane ticket to enter the United States legally.  

According to the Department of Homeland Security, as of August 2024, more than 530,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela have arrived to the U.S. under the policy. 

Ali Arana sponsored five family members.

“We like to do things by legal means, as they should be. And well, thanks to this opportunity, we were able to get five people from the family here,” he said.

He shared that the current situation of Venezuela is what’s encouraging thousands of families in the U.S. to sponsor their relatives through this program.

“Unemployment, there is no electricity, there are no services, there is no security, the political situation is also a very critical point today, and that is what drives one to be able to bring their family members,” Ali Arana said.

Javier Mavares is one of the five family members Ali Arana petitioned. He said it changed his life. 

“I feel a lot of satisfaction, a lot of joy because we had always planned to come to the United States,” Mavares said.

Beneficiaries of the program are allowed to live and work in the U.S. legally for two years. 

“I came with one objective, which is to establish myself here and be able to help my family left behind in Venezuela,” Mavares said.

But although the future for Ali Arana’s family remains unclear, he remains hopeful and wants his story to keep others from losing faith.

“For those people who are still waiting, don’t lose hope. The program is still alive,” Ali Arana said.

The future of this program remains unclear ahead of the presidential election. Former President Donald Trump has indicated he wants to end it along with other Biden administration policies. 

Most recently, the Department of Homeland Security announced the Biden administration will not be extending the legal status of 530,000 migrants who were allowed to fly to the U.S. under this program. Instead, they will be directed to try to obtain legal status through other immigration programs, leave the country or face deportation proceedings.