Visa Restrictions – By Editorial Staff Writer
Visa Restrictions Preferable Accepting
Prime Minister Gaston Browne said Antigua and Barbuda would rather face continued United States visa restrictions than accept third-country nationals with serious criminal records under a proposed transfer arrangement.
During Tuesday’s parliamentary debate on the government’s White Paper, Browne said protecting the country’s security and quality of life would take precedence if the government were forced to choose between the two.
“We know that the United States could take punitive action, and already there are visa restrictions against Antigua and Barbuda,” Browne told Parliament.
“But if we were faced with an option of not taking criminals and to have visa restrictions, we’ll go for the visa restrictions, because accepting criminals will destroy our country.”
The Prime Minister, however, stressed that the negotiations with the United States do not require Antigua and Barbuda to accept criminals.
“I want to make that abundantly clear, that all of the formal exchanges of agreements that we’ve had so far, the issue of accepting criminals is not on the table,” he said.
Browne explained that one of the government’s concerns was that earlier drafts of the proposed operating agreement did not expressly state that people with criminal records would be excluded.
He said Antigua and Barbuda raised the issue during negotiations, prompting discussions with US officials over how criminality should be defined.
According to Browne, US officials advised that a person who breached immigration laws by overstaying a visa could technically be regarded as having committed a criminal offence.
The PM said the government subsequently proposed revised language that would exclude individuals with criminal records while making an exception for people whose only offences related to immigration or visa violations.
“We can then amend the language to state that we will not accept criminals, with the exception of individuals who may have been involved in visa violations,” Browne said.
He said Antigua and Barbuda has periodically regularised the status of people who violated local immigration laws through amnesty programmes and would consider accepting skilled individuals whose only offences were immigration-related.
Browne reiterated that the government would reject people convicted of serious criminal offences, saying they could undermine public safety and the country’s development.
The White Paper outlines the principles guiding Antigua and Barbuda’s negotiations with the United States over the possible transfer of third-country nationals removed from US territory.
Under the government’s position, every proposed transfer would require Antigua and Barbuda’s approval, with the country retaining the right to reject any individual case.
The proposed framework would also exclude unaccompanied minors, people with unresolved asylum or protection claims and anyone with serious criminal records, while requiring complete medical, criminal and biographical information before any transfer takes place.
The government has maintained that the memorandum of understanding signed with the United States in December 2025 is non-binding and does not oblige Antigua and Barbuda to accept any individual. Negotiations on a final operational agreement are continuing.
Antigua and Barbuda has been subject to partial US entry restrictions since January 1st, 2026, when a proclamation signed by President Donald Trump took effect.
The measure suspended the entry of Antiguan and Barbudan nationals seeking immigrant visas, as well as non-immigrant B-1 business, B-2 visitor, combined B-1/B-2, F student, M vocational student and J exchange visitor visas.
The proclamation cited Antigua and Barbuda’s history of operating a citizenship-by-investment programme without a residency requirement as the country-specific basis for the restriction.
