Visa curbs on Antiguan travellers cited as island reverses Cuba embargo vote

Antigua and Barbuda reversed its planned support for a United Nations resolution calling for an end to the United States embargo against Cuba after receiving a call from the US State Department, Prime Minister Gaston Browne said. He told listeners to his weekly radio programme that Washington warned backing the measure could undermine negotiations over US visa restrictions affecting Antiguan and Barbudan nationals.

Key facts

• The UN vote on the Cuba embargo resolution took place on 28 October.
• Antigua and Barbuda's UN ambassador was instructed to abstain, but the country was ultimately recorded as absent.
• Trinidad and Tobago voted against the resolution; Jamaica, Haiti and Guyana abstained.
• US visa restrictions have affected Antigua and Barbuda nationals seeking to travel to the United States.
• The government has agreed to suspend its Citizenship by Investment Programme and intends to communicate that formally after 12 November.

What happened at the UN vote?

Antigua and Barbuda had initially decided to support the resolution, which calls for an end to the decades-old US economic, commercial and financial embargo against Cuba. Browne said the government changed course after being told that a vote in favour would undermine negotiations. He added that his instruction to the ambassador in New York was to abstain, though he did not know why the ambassador did not show up.

Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries split on the measure. Jamaica, Haiti and Guyana abstained, while Trinidad and Tobago voted against. The Bahamas, Belize, Barbados, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Kitts and Nevis and Suriname voted in favour. Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica and St. Lucia were recorded as absent.

Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has defended her government's vote against, saying the country could not stay silent when others face what she described as oppression and exploitation.

Why is this linked to US visas?

Browne's remarks were prompted by a caller who said she could not travel to the United States to visit her ailing mother because her visa had expired and getting a new one remained difficult. The prime minister said there was no justification for the restrictions, arguing that Antigua and Barbuda had very good relations with Washington and had done nothing to offend it.

Browne suggested the measures could be connected to the country's Citizenship by Investment Programme, which allows foreign investors to obtain citizenship in exchange for qualifying investments. He said the government had already agreed to suspend the programme, told the European Union it was ready to do so and asked for an additional three and a half years to phase it out. The administration intends to write again to confirm the suspension after 12 November.

He acknowledged it was unclear whether the citizenship programme was the only factor. Browne also said the decision appeared to have been made at the White House rather than solely within the State Department, making it harder to reverse, while adding that State Department members were still working on the issue.

What this means for travellers

The source describes US visa restrictions that have affected Antigua and Barbuda nationals travelling to the United States, including difficulties renewing expired visas, but does not specify what the restrictions are or when they took effect. Travellers holding Antigua and Barbuda passports should be aware that such difficulties have been reported by the prime minister himself.

Browne said his government continues to pursue a diplomatic resolution to restore easier travel access for Antigua and Barbuda nationals. No timeline for a decision has been given, though the formal suspension of the citizenship programme is due to be communicated after 12 November, and the government is awaiting a response from the European Union on its request for a three-and-a-half-year phase-out.