Central American nations have reached an agreement to allow several thousand Cuban migrants stranded in Costa Rica for over a month to continue their journey towards the United States, BBC News reports.

The migrants will be airlifted to El Salvador and put on buses, which will take them to the U.S.

American legislation gives Cuban migrants preferential treatment.

If they arrive at the U.S. border by land they are allowed to enter the country and apply for residency.

Those who are intercepted at sea are sent back, under the special immigration policy known as "wet foot, dry foot."

Many Cuban migrants fear that the thaw in relations between Washington and Havana may put an end to the preferential treatment given to them.

"We have agreed to make the first humanitarian transfer in January," said foreign ministers from the Sica regional group and Mexico.

They met in Guatemala City to try to find a solution to the crisis.

Cuba did not attend the meeting, but said it expected "a quick and adequate solution" from the nations involved.