Most young professionals in Cuba are seeking to validate their academic degrees for emigration, driven by the precarious economic situation and lack of opportunities. Despite the virtual closure of the United States, outflows have simply been redirected to other destinations like Mexico and Brazil. Experts warn that mass emigration is impacting every sector of Cuban society.
At the offices of Consultores y Abogados Internacionales (Conabi) in Havana, dozens of young people line up each morning to apostille and certify their university degrees, an essential step for postgraduate studies abroad. Jennifer, a psychologist from Cienfuegos, traveled 300 kilometers to speed up the process, which takes one month in the capital compared to six in her province. "I need those papers as soon as possible because I'm applying for a master's in Mexico," she explained.
David, a telecommunications engineer from Camagüey, emigrated to Brazil in 2015 for a master's and now lives in Chile with a PhD, working for a multinational. The average cost for academic and migration procedures is about $2,000, partially recoverable through scholarships. Other routes, like flights to Guyana, cost up to $1,000 plus additional expenses.
According to the Pew Research Center, 27% of Cuban Americans hold university degrees, the highest percentage among Latinos, thanks to post-2000 migrants. The U.S. Census reports 2.3 million Cuban Americans before the pandemic, plus 850,000 from late 2021 to January 2025, mostly young graduates. A common strategy was applying to programs in Mexico for temporary visas and then crossing to the U.S., but the closure ordered by Trump under his "maximum pressure" policy has redirected flows.
Jennifer, with her salary as a psychologist and waitress, barely covers expenses with her partner, an engineer turned taxi driver. "Applying for a scholarship and leaving is cheaper than buying a house or starting a business," she reasoned. In May 2025, Antonio Aja, director of the Center for Demographic Studies at the University of Havana, warned in a meeting with Prime Minister Manuel Marrero: "Population decline affects every sphere of society and the economy."
Retirees face nominally higher pensions after the 2021 reform (Tarea Ordenamiento), but with reduced real value: the minimum went from equivalent to $11.50 in 2019 to $6 today, buying fewer foodstuffs. Joaquín, a retired mechanic from Camagüey, relies on remittances from his children in the U.S. Additionally, prohibitions on private practice in professions like architecture frustrate experts such as Edilberto Díaz, who described their aspirations as "a shattered dream."