Antigua and Barbuda says the United States’ claim that the Caribbean nation issues citizenship by investment (CBI) without residency, as a justification to impose partial travel restrictions, are outdated.
The island nation, alongside Nigeria, was among 15 countries
hit with the restrictions on Tuesday.
US President Donald Trump subsequently announced the
suspension of tourist, student, and exchange visa issuance to nationals of the
country.
Gaston Browne, prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, said the allegation was deeply disappointing.
“That assertion does not reflect the present reality of our
laws,” Browne said in a statement on Wednesday.
In October, the Caribbean country introduced a new
legislation that increased the residency requirement for new citizens from five
days to 30 days over a five-year period.
Browne, who chaired the parliamentary session, said the
reforms were part of efforts to strengthen international confidence and align
with global standards set by the US, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the
European Union (EU).
“It is therefore an error to state that Antigua and
Barbuda’s Citizenship by Investment Programme operates without a residency
requirement,” the prime minister said in a statement.
Browne said Ronald Sanders, Antigua and Barbuda’s ambassador
to the US, immediately contacted the State Department after Trump’s
announcement.
According to Browne, State Department officials were
themselves surprised by the proclamation and had received no prior notice of
its issuance.
The prime minister said Sanders has since initiated
arrangements for urgent, high-level engagement with the State Department and
the White House to clarify the matter.
“In parallel, I am writing directly to President Donald J.
Trump and to the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, offering the full engagement
and cooperation of the Government of Antigua and Barbuda to address any
concerns and to take all reasonable steps necessary to allow for the
restoration of all visa categories,” he added.
The visa restrictions on Antigua and Barbuda delivered a
double blow to elite Nigerians, for whom the Caribbean passport has been a
popular workaround to the limited mobility of Nigeria’s passport, which offered
visa-free access to just 45 countries as of March.
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com