Prime Minister Gaston Browne says Antigua and Barbuda is engaged in ongoing discussions with the United States government and remains hopeful that partial visa restrictions on its citizens will be lifted when they come up for review in June.
According to Antigua News Room, Browne made the remarks during an interview on ABS Television, where he outlined recent talks with U.S. officials, including Deputy Secretary of State Landau, aimed at resolving the matter.
"We remain hopeful that in June, when the restrictions would have expired, there will be no renewals … and that we will return to the status quo," Browne said.
The prime minister argued that the restrictions were imposed on a "false premise" — specifically, claims that Antigua and Barbuda's citizenship-by-investment programme lacks a residency requirement.
"There was this restriction, ostensibly because our programme does not have … a residency requirement, which clearly was not true," he said.
Browne pointed to the country's compliance record, stating that Antigua and Barbuda has aligned its screening process with U.S. sanctions lists and has rejected applications from sanctioned countries for more than a decade.
"We have a sanction-list-only programme that moves in tandem with the United States," he said.
The prime minister also indicated that U.S. State Department officials had themselves expressed concern about how the decision was reached.
"We would have spoken to members in the State Department … and they regretted that such action was taken based on a false premise," Browne said.
Browne maintained that neither he nor his administration had engaged in any conduct that would justify the restrictions, insisting the country has been "totally compliant" with international standards. He confirmed that Antigua and Barbuda will continue its diplomatic engagement as it seeks a full reversal of the measures.
