St John’s – The Antigua and Barbuda government has launched a fresh diplomatic effort to persuade the United States to remove the twin-island nation from recently imposed visa restrictions and the newly established U.S. Visa Bond Programme.
Prime Minister Gaston Browne has written to U.S. President Donald Trump requesting a review of the measures affecting Antiguan and Barbudan nationals under Presidential Proclamation 10998, related visa restrictions and the permanent Visa Bond Programme.
At the same time, Antigua and Barbuda’s Embassy in Washington has submitted a diplomatic note to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio seeking an early review of the country’s continued inclusion in the measures.
According to the government, its appeal is based on the U.S. State Department’s own explanation that the Visa Bond Programme is intended to encourage countries to strengthen information sharing, identity verification, document security, immigration compliance and other security measures.
The government said Antigua and Barbuda has already implemented significant reforms that address those objectives.
Among the measures highlighted are tougher residency requirements under the Citizenship by Investment Programme, biometric cooperation with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to improve identity verification and screening, continued cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in accepting nationals removed from the United States, and a willingness to assist with third-country nationals within the country’s capacity.
The government also pointed to Antigua and Barbuda’s low visa overstay rate of just over one percent, noting that no citizen has sought refugee status in the United States.
It also highlighted the country’s status as a stable parliamentary democracy and an upper-middle-income economy recognised by the World Bank. (CMC)