Freed prisoners hoping to migrate to the United States will find the trip easier and faster if they don't come to Miami via Spain, according to the U.S.Interests Section in Havana.

Family members of several dissidents were told by the USINT that the prisoners who have gone to Spain cannot apply for political asylum in the U.S. because, in effect, they've used up their right to asylum.

Their trip to Spain has turned them from refugees into ordinary migrants.

Instead, they will have to petition for residence, a process that takes a longer time as long as 18 months, according to the BBC news service and requires a sponsor in the U.S. The application itself must be done through regular channels.

"The process is different depending on where you apply from," Gloria Berbena, a USINT spokeswoman, told The Associated Press.

Martha Beatriz Roque, a dissident in Cuba, told the BBC that some Cuban dissidents who went to Spain in years past and then tried to move to the U.S. found that the process lasted as long as three years.

So, it appears that by accepting the invitation from Spain, the prisoners endanger their chances for immediate acceptance by the United States. It remains to be seen if other countries adopt Washington's stance.