The government plans to launch a three-month immigration amnesty beginning April 2 for undocumented migrants who have been living in Antigua and Barbuda for at least four years, Cabinet officials said.
The measure forms part of proposed amendments to immigration legislation that are expected to be debated in Parliament later this month.
Director General of Communications Maurice Merchant said Cabinet agreed that the amnesty programme would run for a limited period while authorities process applications from eligible migrants.
“They also agreed that the amnesty itself will start on the 2nd of April and will run for three months,” Merchant said during the Cabinet briefing.
Officials said the programme will apply to individuals who have been residing in the country for four years or more without legal status.
“The four-year start in terms of how long you’ve been in Antigua — they think it’s adequate,” Merchant said, noting that research suggests most individuals likely to apply for the programme have been living in the country for at least that length of time.
Cabinet also reviewed the proposed application process, including the documentation required and the cost to applicants.
Merchant said applicants will need to submit a police record covering the previous two years from their country of origin and from Antigua and Barbuda.
“They also agreed on a police record dating back two years from their country of origin,” he said.
The government has also reduced the proposed application fee. Merchant said Cabinet recommended a $250 processing fee, down from the $500 originally suggested in the draft legislation.
“The original bill recommended a $500 processing fee,” he said.
Under the proposal, the Chief Immigration Officer would be responsible for reviewing and approving applications submitted during the amnesty period.
Parliament is expected to consider the Immigration Amendment Bill on the 23rd of the month, when lawmakers will debate the details of the programme before it is formally implemented.
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RALLYING CALL #11
No, no, noooo!!!
Haven’t we got enough issues from the last Immigration Amnesty that this ABLP government used to keep them in power from the last General Election?
And fellow Antiguans, we must never forget how much crime rates have shared since the last General Election – it’s out of control, including unsolved murders.
And the fact that this amnesty is taking place next month will give Browne and his cohorts enough time to call a snap Election in the foreseeable future. It stinks no hell!
I’ve said it in the past and I’ll say it again, that the indigenous born and bred Antiguans are getting fewer and fewer, and this government’s task should be trying to attract the wealthy and educated Antiguans living abroad, to either invest here or return home.
Why the hell isn’t Dr Dave Ray promoting the diaspora in his new position, or was he just given a window dressing “title” by the ABLP? No wonder he gone quiet…
Giving amnesties to immigrants smacks of Gerrymandering tactics to keep the autocratic Gaston Browne in power.
I rebuke this unprecedented power grab.
No, no, no and no once again
RALLYING CALL #12 is on its way 👍🏾
What ah ting. Just buy your ticket and come. Bruk the law as you want even work illegally because ever so often Gaston Browne and his Administration will reward you with amnesty and reduce the price at that since he needs you to win elections. This is really shameful. Have absolutely nothing against anyone foreign, just believe people should obey the law
@Brixtonian. No one cares about you rebuking anything you attention whore. You are such a miserable fuck but I’m glad that you are unhappy. Cope harder.
Anonymous proves every day that he/she/shim is really an Anonymous jack or Jenny ass. You really need to get some commonsense. Brixtonian seems to have quite a bit of it
@Anonymous, I’m not appealing to bottom feeders like you, far from it. My ultimate concern as a patriot, is the country needs a drastic change from the draconian measures implementated by an ABLP government that is more beholding to greedy money orientated lobbyists than the indigenous voting public.
From your response I can see that writing in a sensible and coherent manner must be very difficult for you to accomp, so I won’t “rebuke” you, but instead I’ll feel pity for you.
I hope you don’t mind… 🤣
Remember, when taking on Brixtonian, you’ve got to think good and be on your game, because I’m the best of the best 👍🏾
Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister is refusing to face reality, and the country is now paying the price. The travel restrictions imposed by the Trump administration are not acts of hostility — they are consequences. They are the direct result of reckless immigration policies, weak leadership, and a government that has chosen political convenience over national responsibility.
For too long, this administration has gambled with Antigua’s reputation and sovereignty. The Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP), once promoted as an economic tool, has been pushed to dangerous extremes, turning Antiguan citizenship into what increasingly appears to be a commodity for sale. Citizenship is supposed to represent trust, security, and national identity — not a quick financial transaction carried out without sufficient safeguards or foresight. The international community has noticed, and now Antigua is facing the fallout.
At the same time, the government’s repeated amnesties for illegal migrants have openly undermined the rule of law. What message does this send? That immigration laws mean nothing. That overstaying your time carries no real consequence. That political calculations matter more than national order. Law-abiding citizens follow the rules while this administration rewards those who break them. That is not compassion — it is irresponsibility disguised as policy.
Even more disturbing are the unresolved questions surrounding the influx of so-called asylum seekers into Antigua and the tragic deaths of 17 West Africans at sea during an attempted smuggling operation. Seventeen lives lost. Seventeen families devastated. Yet instead of transparency and accountability, the public has been given silence and evasion. A government that refuses to answer hard questions forfeits public trust.
The recruitment of 120 Ghanaian nurses, while important for healthcare, has been executed with the same pattern of poor planning and secrecy. Housing them at the same New Winthropes facility previously used for irregular migrants only reinforces the growing perception of confusion, mismanagement, and a government operating without coordination or credibility.
And still, the Prime Minister insists the travel restrictions are temporary. This is not optimism — it is denial. Countries do not impose restrictions without serious concerns about immigration control, security standards, and governance. Pretending otherwise does not defend Antigua; it weakens it further on the global stage.
What Antigua needs now is decisive action, not speeches filled with excuses. The CIP programme must be immediately restricted and subjected to strict oversight. Immigration Services must stop failing the public and start enforcing the laws they are paid to uphold. Amnesty programmes that reward illegal entry and overstays must end once and for all.
The government must also put an end to any perception that illegal migration is being tolerated or politically exploited. Immigration policy cannot be used as a tool for electoral advantage. The law must apply equally to everyone, without fear, favor, or political calculation. Those who remain in the country illegally must face lawful enforcement, including deportation where necessary.
The Prime Minister and his administration cannot escape responsibility for the crisis Antigua now faces. Leadership is not about deflecting blame or downplaying consequences — it is about accountability and action. Every day this government refuses to confront reality, Antigua’s reputation suffers further damage and international confidence continues to erode.
Antiguans deserve leadership that protects the nation, enforces the law, and defends the country’s standing in the world. Until that happens, the consequences we are seeing today will only grow worse tomorrow.
@Born & Bred Antiguan. More like Born and Dumb Antiguan.
Have a little dignity and self respect and remove your tongue from Brixtonian’s arse. You should be embarrassed.
Anonymous you would not want me to take you on, so stay in your corrupt ABLP lane. You have enough to deal with @ Brixtonian and you are way, way behind
@Brixtonian Whilst I agree with the essence of Brixtonian’s concerns, there are deeper issues that cannot simply be brushed aside or ignored by those in authority.
We must remember that Olabanjo, a close and openly acknowledged “tight” associate of Prime Minister Gaston Browne, publicly declared on local broadcasting that Antigua is under-populated and that asylum seekers were brought here to help “improve” the country’s population. That statement alone should alarm every Antiguan who still values the sovereignty, dignity, and democratic integrity of this nation.
Let us be clear: who gave any foreign national the moral authority to determine that Antigua and Barbuda’s population must be “developed” by importing people through questionable channels? That is not merely an insensitive comment—it suggests a level of influence and interference that no sovereign people should tolerate.
The consequences of this reckless approach are not theoretical. We already witnessed tragedy when seventeen of these so-called asylum seekers lost their lives, reportedly while being smuggled out of Antigua on an overcrowded local fishing boat. Seventeen human beings perished in what appears to be a shadowy operation connected to the same questionable migration pipeline. Yet to this day, the public has received no full accounting, no transparency, and no meaningful update from either the Prime Minister or Olabanjo.
Even more troubling is the fact that approximately 888 of these asylum seekers remain unaccounted for. Where are they? What became of them? Were they properly processed through any legitimate immigration system? Or were they quietly dispersed without the knowledge or consent of the Antiguan people?
These are not minor administrative questions. They strike at the heart of national security, governance, and accountability.
Adding insult to injury, the same Olabanjo who made these controversial declarations reportedly holds a senior position within the Ministry of Agriculture. That alone raises serious questions about how influence, access, and power are being distributed within the government.
Many Antiguans—both at home and throughout the diaspora—have every right to lament the direction in which this country appears to be heading. What we are witnessing feels less like careful national leadership and more like a dangerous erosion of sovereignty, pride, and self-determination.
Instead of policies that empower Antiguans, encourage the return of our diaspora, strengthen our institutions, and protect the integrity of our borders, we are being asked to accept opaque arrangements, unexplained migration schemes, and political maneuvering that benefits a small circle of insiders.
That is not statesmanship.
Statesmanship is about safeguarding the future of the nation and respecting the will and dignity of its people. What we are seeing instead is a pattern where corruption is tolerated, handouts replace opportunity, and loyalty to political power seems to outweigh loyalty to country.
Antiguans must ask themselves a difficult question:
Are we prepared to continue accepting this erosion of our national dignity, or will we demand the transparency, accountability, and leadership that this country deserves?
Because if we remain silent now, we may soon find that the Antigua we once knew—our pride, our sovereignty, and our democratic voice—has been quietly bargained away. Antiguans rise and say ‘No’ to being disenfranchised.
The country is being invaded by criminals! We need mass deportations not amnesty. Where is the UPP? Where is Pringle?
How many amnesty since 2000…someone check the Guinness book of records. Too many things happening in this tiny 2×2 country at the behest of one man
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