WASHINGTON – AUGUST 31: The desk of U.S. President Barack Obama sits in the newly redecorated Oval Office of the White House August 31, 2010 in Washington, D.C. U.S. President Barack Obama will give his second address from Oval Office August 31, 2010 to mark the shift away from combat in the war in Iraq. […]

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WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is ending the policy that granted residency to Cubans who arrived in the United States without visas.

That’s according to a senior administration official, who said the policy change was effective immediately.

The official said the U.S. and Cuba have spent several months negotiating the change, including an agreement from Cuba to allow those turned away from the U.S. to return.

The move comes about a week before President Barack Obama leaves office and is likely the last major change he will make to his overhaul of the U.S. relationship with Cuba.

The official insisted on anonymity in order to detail the policy ahead of an official announcement.

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