# Uruguay Offers Path to Permanent Residency for Asylum Seekers

> Uruguay creates new route to permanent residency for asylum seekers amid regional migration shifts.
- Title: Uruguay Offers Path to Permanent Residency for Asylum Seekers
- Summary: Uruguay creates new route to permanent residency for asylum seekers amid regional migration shifts. Uruguay launched a mass regularization scheme for asylum…
- Keywords: uruguay, asylum seekers, permanent residency, cuba, migration policy, latam, uruguay migration, cuban migration, latam migration, asylum regularization, migration scheme, permanent residency scheme
- Source: Foreign Policy — https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/10/16/uruguay-migration-asylum-seekers-permanent-residency-cuba
- Author: Catherine Osborn
- Published: 2026-10-20T00:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: uruguay, asylum seekers, permanent residency, cuba, migration policy, latam, uruguay migration, cuban migration, latam migration, asylum regularization, migration scheme, permanent residency scheme
## Uruguay's Migration Shift
Uruguay announced a mass regularization scheme for asylum seekers, including Cubans, offering permanent residency to those who entered before January 1, 2026.

> this is a show of leadership that should be celebrated
## Regional Migration Context
Most Latin American countries tightened migration policies after Trump's approach, but Uruguay reversed course with a new path to permanent residency.
## Cuban Asylum in Uruguay
Cubans fleeing political and economic crisis in Cuba have been the primary group seeking asylum in Uruguay since 2024.
## 2024 Residency Policy
Uruguay previously granted residency based on 'rootedness' to a few thousand Cubans before its eligibility window expired last year.
## Expert Endorsement
María Teresa Urueña, a migration policy expert at the Center for Engagement and Advocacy in the Americas, called the policy a 'show of leadership' and 'concrete response' to asylum seekers.

> this is a show of leadership that should be celebrated
## Regional Comparison
Uruguay's move mirrors Colombia's 2021 decision to grant temporary residency to Venezuelan migrants, which was praised as humane and pragmatic.
## Costa Rica's Temporary Status
Costa Rica granted temporary legal status to Cuban migrants in May 2026, offering two-year work permission to asylum applicants from Colombia, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
## Ecuador's Challenges
Ecuador expelled all Cuban diplomats in March 2026, making it harder for Cubans to access Cuban government documents for asylum applications.
## Colombia's Deportation Drive
Colombia announced a mass deportation drive of undocumented migrants including Cubans in August 2026, though it did not immediately implement the plan.
## Colombia's Policy Success
Colombia's earlier policy of granting legal status to Venezuelan migrants created more economic activity and was less costly to the state than undocumented migrants.
## Uruguay as Test Case
Tiny Uruguay is now set to be a new testing ground for the potential benefits of policies that lead to regularization, protection, and integration of migrants.
## Brazil's Patron Saint Debate
Brazil's presidential race is being affected by a debate over whether Our Lady of Aparecida should remain Brazil's patron saint after a right-wing candidate called for her removal.
## China's Sanctions
China announced sanctions on Belize's foreign minister and Paraguay's information technology minister over their ties with Taiwan and alleged threats to China's national interests.
## Paraguay's Stance
Public opinion in Paraguay is warming to China, with 61 percent seeing China's influence as positive compared to 57 percent for the United States.
## Presidential Election Impact
Even opposition candidates in Paraguay are sticking with the government's line on China ahead of the 2028 presidential election.
## Key takeaway

Uruguay launched a mass regularization scheme for asylum seekers, including Cubans, offering permanent residency to those who entered before January 1, 2026.