Prime Minister Gaston Browne has sought to reassure Antiguans and Barbudans that existing US visas will not be cancelled under new US travel restrictions due to take effect on 1 January 2026.
In a statement on social media, Mr Browne said holders of valid US visas would continue to be allowed to travel to the United States, despite concerns raised after a White House announcement on new measures affecting nationals of Antigua and Barbuda.
The government said talks with US officials were continuing and that further information would be shared as discussions progress.
Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Antigua!
We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages.
Contact us at [email protected]
This man is a real joker. The US said all visas are cancelled, but this fool is telling Antiguans the visas are still valid. Don’t waste ar’u money. The US is now closed to Antiguans thanks to this useless ALP government.
U hear lie… that is lie. Techa Percy say… Every time this clown opens his mouth fiction flows out.
Existing US visas are still valid but no new US travel visas will be issued to Antiguans & Barbudans. If your US travel visa runs out, you cannot apply for a new one and you are restricted thereafter from traveling to the US. No new US student visas will be issued.
The utterances of an ignorant man masquerading as intelligent. That old saying… in the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king. Antiguans wake up
I can re-assure you ABLP PM Browne does not know what he is saying and can not speak for the US. I can reassure you that existing visa from named country (Antigua and Barbuda) are being scrutinized even more.
If you are a greencard holder, you are excluded but will still face above normal scrutiny if you are from listed country. I have been getting a lot of calls from Antiguans and Barbudans. It is reasonable to conclude no matter what travel document you have, and you are from one of the listed country, you will face above normal scrutiny.
You are now more likely to be detained in CBP or ICE detention/jail, and returned to Antigua and Barbuda. That is the fact.
Just like the recent Antiguan traveling on a student Visa. Sitting in detention and sent back to Antigua.
Of course they will be. Going forward is where the problem will start and you know that, so just trying to bamboozle people
Gaston brown you and your chain gang members are making us lose respect around the world… what happened to the cars bro, who signed the paper .. besides the big names you called, who else are you protecting? such a corrupt regime.. red passports owned by gangsters.. while food prices are very high, gas price is high, rent, mortgage is high,and you too, must be HIGH thinking that we are that gullible to believe that bag of lies ..ANTIGUA don’t have leverage to talk about TO TALK ABOUT We don’t need people. Venezuela can’t defend us and you guys ALSO want to cut all ties with the British, such Bull shi#, when we have a few lazy men and women that won’t be willing to stand AND FIGHT, let alone die for this country, we don’t have a army that can defend us against a bigger army. What is the point.. plus china main focus is to use us.. they don’t integrate with us and even try to be a part our culture, they built whole big spy center in our country, and yet we eat there food and patronize this stores smh..
Didn’t he seek to reassure us that the US will never do this because he and his administration are too smart and competent? See that is where the problem lies; ABLP is so accustomed to pulling wool over it’s citizens’ eyes that believed they could bamboozle the US.
The chickens have come home to roost.
Why everytime this Cartel is at the helm we always have to be worried? He has the uncontrollable urge to tell the Nation that the UPP is again responsible for our misfortune. I guess I can hold my breath on this one. It’s coming tomorrow.
PEOPLE, PEOPLE, listen.
The US white House made their statement. Then,
Antigua’s ambassador to the US had meeting with US officials.
The PM is going on information fed to him by said ambassador Ron Sanders.
I am scheduled to fly to Miami in early Jan, I have checked this thing. My travel agent, the Airline all told me I am safe.
The PM is correct. Read the article by Ron Sanders. You did not read that, you jumped straight to the PM. And because of that you are uninformed and unarmed.
It pains me when semi retarded people like “my way of helping” said the PM knows not what he is talking. Did the Minister really called you an ass, when he ran you out of his office.
The advisory clearly said that at 1 second past midnight( during the time when we will be setting off fireworks to bring in the new year and listed the Visas that cannot be used to enter into the USA( that was basically all the types of US Visas). In fact for security reasons it is for better to cancel all existing visas , since there are people and we don’t know how much thousands have gotten our passports without any residency requirements. Many of whom has already obtained US visas. So going forward the USA should only accept visas application for people who obtained the Antigua passport outside of the CIP.
Ms Sharmaine Quinland (don’t know your married title) . The PM had spouted your big fat salary. Your department has not upheld the laws of Antigua and Barbuda. We the citizens of Antigua should know the names of everyone that has been issued a CIP passport. We have voted for members of the UPP into the parliament . They even had received more votes than the ABLP . The list of all who received our passports via the CIP route should be tabled in our parliament. See by disrespecting the opposition parliamentarians you are disrespecting the majority of Antiguans. We are now running like headless chickens. To get back the VISA access we the citizens want this CIP program scrapped. I heard the PM talking about willing to meet any reasonable request. Look people don’t need the Antiguan citizenship/ passport to come into Antigua. They need to have Visa access to the USA and other international countries. Canada had cancelled our visa free access for the same reason- CIP program.
One and one is two right. So the USA did accuse us of using the Cuban Medical Brigades. The Secretary of State Mr. Marco Rubio said that countries that use the Cuban medical support will be punished. We are now hearing of over one hundred and soon it will be thousands of Africans Medical Workers will be coming to replace the Cubans. Is this tied to the USA visa issue. We are asking for Democratic and transparent representation. You told us that you were too skilled for this to happen and your ambassadors and CIP management team too competent to allow this to happen.
So just like you are eating humble pie in speaking to the USA visa issue. We voted you into power and you should be speaking to Antiguans with the same level of respect.
Gaston power is like ice in the sun, it will eventually leave you.
I AM HAPPY THAT YOU ALL ARE HAPPY
Social media clarification is good, but a formal press briefing would help settle nerves across the country
Thats the kind of news we waiting for
I’m relieved for now, but January is around the corner. Hope the talks actually lead to fair treatment
At least those who already have visas aren’t being punished overnight.
This will definitely affect the monies projected for the 2026 Budget, since, the CIP/CBI monies will be less than what was expected. Who wants a passport where you can’t get a US VISA?
It looks like BOWEN was unto some thing.
Could this visa-restrictions be one reason for rushing the budget through the Lower House?
How will this affect the budget speech ongoing, in the SENATE – Upper House? Will they revise the budget, and send it back to the LOWER HOUSE?
Come on SENATE do Antiguans and Barbudans some justice.
@Ron
Are you that naive dude, or just simply as ignorant as these leaders who got us in this mess?
It’s one of them, pick one!
And for the record, if Sanders, your embassador, because he’s certainly no embassador for Antigua )by his incompetents to not see this coming and avoid it from reaching the people of Antigua who had no blame in the US decision) he would seen this coming a knew about its happening and warn his administration.
If he was a true “Embassador” he and this administration wouldn’t have gotten caught with their pants down, at the serious expense of innocent Antiguan’s.
Shame on you to even defend this incompetents, much less to attack @my way of helping, for voicing the truth.
But then again..I’m not surprised,because that’s what the ignorant followers of GB does.
They are cut from the same naive and incompetent cloth, then turn around and blame the UPP and everyone else but themselves.
Last time I checked, wasn’t Gatson Brown the sworn-in leader of Antigua?
Go blame him you backside, and stop picking on the innocent. Real jack-donkey you are.