Amnesty Programme – By Kisean Joseph
Amnesty Programme Opens
The government’s 2026 Immigration Amnesty Programme opened yesterday, the first since March 2022, giving undocumented residents until September to regularise their status.
Immigration Minister E.P. Chet Greene said the initiative, introduced under the Immigration and Passport (Amendment) Act, 2026, targets people who have lived in Antigua and Barbuda for four years or more and experienced gaps or irregularities in their status during that period. The Department of Immigration confirmed the programme runs from Wednesday July 1st to Wednesday September 30th.
It is the country’s first amnesty in over four years, the last having been held in March 2022.
Applicants must submit a passport-sized photograph, a completed Amnesty Application Form, and police records from every country or territory they have resided in over the past four years, according to the Department. A processing fee of EC$500 and a change-of-status fee of EC$150 also apply.
Piloting the enabling legislation in the House of Representatives, Greene outlined restrictions aimed at preventing repeated use of successive amnesty programmes. Persons who have previously benefited from amnesty on three occasions will not qualify for the current initiative.
“A person who has applied for amnesty on three previous occasions is ineligible and will not qualify for the amnesty extended here and now by the government,” Greene told lawmakers.
The Department said incomplete applications may be delayed or refused until all outstanding requirements are met.
Applications will be received at Immigration Headquarters, Monday to Friday, between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., on a first-come, first-served basis using a numbered queue system.
Outside those hours, members of the public can visit the Amnesty Information Desk at the entrance of Immigration Headquarters, or call the Department at 562-6693, Monday to Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.
The Department stressed that eligibility does not guarantee approval, noting each application will be assessed on its individual merits in accordance with the Act and other applicable immigration laws and policies. Further guidance and any additional documentary requirements will be provided to applicants once they lodge their applications at Immigration Headquarters, the Department said.
Officials are encouraging all eligible persons to take advantage of the three-month window to regularise their status.
