- Antigua and Barbuda requested a formal review of U.S. visa restrictions and the newly permanent bond program.
- The permanent program requires bonds up to $20,000 for business and tourism applicants from specific countries.
- Visa validity for Antiguan citizens dropped from ten years to three months for single entry only.
Antigua and Barbuda asked the U.S. administration on Monday, Aug. 3, to review visa restrictions and the permanent U.S. Visa Bond Programme, after Prime Minister Gaston Browne sent a letter to the U.S. president and a diplomatic note to the State Department. The request landed the same day the rule became permanent.
Browne's Aug. 2 letter asked for a review of measures under Presidential Proclamation 10998. He wrote that, "The Government of Antigua and Barbuda has responded positively and constructively. [highlighting] the establishment of biometric cooperation with the United States Department of Homeland Security to enhance identity verification and screening." He cited DHS cooperation.
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The Federal Register on Monday made the pilot permanent under Final Rule 2026-15726. Its summary said, "This final rule amends 22 CFR part 41 to make permanent a Visa Bond Program. the 2025 visa bond pilot. has provided sufficient data to suggest that a visa bond program is an effective tool for enforcing compliance among bonded visa holders." The rule is now in force.
Under the permanent program, consular officers can require refundable bonds of $10,000, $15,000, or up to $20,000 from B-1 (business) and B-2 (tourism) applicants. That is higher than the pilot's $5,000 minimum. Visitor visas for Antiguan and Barbudan nationals also dropped from 10-year multiple-entry visas to 3-month, single-entry visas.
USCIS Policy Memorandum PM-602-0194 took effect on January 1, 2026. The hold remains. It put applications from "high-risk countries," including Antigua and Barbuda, under an adjudicative hold and ordered mandatory re-reviews of benefits approved since January 2021, and since January 21, 2026, paused most immigrant visa issuances for nationals of affected countries over public charge risks and vetting deficiencies.
The restrictions rest on overstay rates and CBI fears
U.S. officials cite high visitor visa overstay rates and security concerns tied to the Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programme. Only four Caribbean nations face it. Antigua and Barbuda sits alongside Cuba, Dominica, and Grenada in the strict protocols.
The State Department calls the bond program a "tool of diplomacy" to push foreign governments toward stronger information sharing, identity verification, screening and vetting of passport applicants, and compliance that can trim deportation costs estimated by DHS at $18,000 per person. That's the stated aim.
Shorter visas push more trips to Barbados
The financial hit is immediate. Browne said the policies were "hurting trade, commerce, students, and families," and said they could reduce tourism and regional air connectivity. Families and students feel it first.
Applicants must return to the U.S. Embassy in Barbados, because Antigua does not host a non-immigrant visa-processing consulate. That adds time. The process can repeat often.
