The Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966

The law that let Cubans in the United States become permanent residents.

The law

Signed in November 1966, the Cuban Adjustment Act allowed Cubans who had been admitted or paroled into the United States, and who had been present for a set period, to apply for permanent residence. The waiting period was later shortened to one year.

Why it mattered

It gave hundreds of thousands of Cubans who had arrived on parole a path to citizenship and, with it, eligibility for careers such as the Foreign Service.