The Government of Antigua and Barbuda says Parliament will meet within the next two weeks to debate and pass changes to immigration law, paving the way for a national amnesty programme.
Proposed amendments to the Immigration and Passport Act 2014 are due to be reviewed by Cabinet before being tabled. Officials say the changes will create a legal framework to regularise the status of certain undocumented migrants.
The amnesty would apply to people who entered the country lawfully but have lived without regularised status for four years or more. Eligible individuals would be able to apply during a three-month window from 1 April to 30 June 2026.
The bill would also provide a pathway for people who narrowly failed to qualify for citizenship because of short breaks in lawful residency.
However, the government says the programme will not be open to everyone. Those considered a threat to national security or public safety will be excluded, as will applicants who provide false information or are subject to active deportation orders or international arrest warrants.
Cabinet has described the measure as a structured effort to improve compliance with immigration laws and strengthen national security oversight. Officials say it is not a blanket pardon but a managed process aimed at bringing long-term residents into legal conformity.
If approved, the amnesty is expected to begin shortly after the legislation is passed.
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No amnesty! Stop the invasion; mass deportations now!
RALLYING CALL #5
Please pay attention to this very important Parliamentary discussion on the Immigration Amnesty debate. The forced attenuation and influx of foreign nationals has impacted on our cultural dilution and the indigenous population that nobody (especially this government who has benefited) can no longer deny.
Let’s look at a number of things that confirms this:
1) In the late 90s and throughout the early 00s, Antiguan music was at the peak of its power, I was so proud of hearing wherever I traveled at home and abroad our music was rocking the club’s and dance floors.
Today though, reggae music has overtaken ours.
2) The conversations that I have on a regular basis when I’m out and about are not from Antiguans; but from those that weren’t born here.
3) Food is another guideline to how things have drastically changed in our country. A good friend of my family has had an ackee tree growing on their land for decades without interruption; but nowadays once the ackee opens up, the tree is stripped bare by chancers.
4) Unchecked immigration into the country can also have a detrimental effect on us due to the rise in criminal activity, that nobody can deny. Yes, I know Antiguans have their own criminals, but the career driven hard-backed ones who come over here see Antigua 🇦🇬 as an easy touch.
Yes, country has changed, and it would be interesting to know once the National Census is completed, what the percentage ratio between the influx of immigration and the indigenous population is. I await with baited breath.
WE CAN’T AFFORD ANYMORE IMMIGRATION AMNESTIES…