Ambassador Sanders: US Visa Reduction Claims for Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda are False 

Antigua and Barbuda: Antigua and Barbuda's ambassador to the United States Sir Ronald Sanders has confirmed that the rumours made regarding a reduction in the validity of United States visas granted to Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica passport holders are fake.

According to the information, there are various claims circulating online and being published by several local media channels alleging that the United States has significantly reduced the validity of non-immigrant visitor visas for citizens of Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica from 10 years to 3 months. The original article by Virgin Islands Consortium make reference to "updated reciprocity schedules" from the US State Department but does not indicate when it viewed these schedules.

However, as the claims made rounds across social media, the Antiguan ambassador cleared the air and said that the information provided in the online article is inaccurate. He emphasised that no official notification has been issued by the US government confirming any such reduction in visa validity for Antigua and Barbuda passport holders.

The Ambassador stressed that he is engaging US officials regarding the visa restrictions which were announced by Washington late last year and the subsequent pause on the proceeding of immigrant visas as well as green cards which applies to a total of 75 countries. However, he clarified that those measures are separate from the validity period of non-immigrant visitor visas.

As of publication, there has been no official update posted on the US Department of State’s reciprocity schedule indicating a change to the 10-year validity period traditionally granted to eligible B1/B2 visa applicants from Antigua and Barbuda or Dominica.

Notably, Dominican and Antiguan and Barbudan passport holders need a non-immigrant visa for temporary travel to the United States. There are several types of visas for which people can apply including visitor visa (B1/B2) for tourism, business meetings or medical treatment, student visas, exchange visitor visa and employment visa.