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ST. KITTS AND NEVIS OUTPACES SEVERAL OECS NEIGHBOURS IN EARLY 2026 U.S. VISITOR VISA ISSUANCES

Federation records 238 B1/B2 visas in January and February, exceeding totals for Saint Lucia, Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines as major U.S. policy changes reshape Caribbean visa figures

TIMES CARIBBEAN | BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS — St. Kitts and Nevis emerged ahead of several larger OECS neighbours in the first two published months of 2026 U.S. visitor-visa data, according to official figures from the United States Department of State.

The Federation recorded 106 B1/B2 visitor visas in January and 132 in February — a two-month total of 238.

That is a notable showing for one of the smallest countries in the Eastern Caribbean.

By comparison, the Department of State recorded 94 B1/B2 visas for Saint Lucia in January and 98 in February, producing a combined B1/B2 total of 192. Saint Lucia also recorded one standalone B1 visa in January, bringing its broader B-category count to 193.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines recorded 62 B1/B2 visas in January and 80 in February — 142 combined, or 143 when its single January B1 issuance is included.

Grenada recorded 82 B1/B2 visas in January and another 82 in February, for 164.

That places St. Kitts and Nevis comfortably ahead of those three OECS neighbours during the period, despite the Federation having a considerably smaller population than Saint Lucia or St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

But there is an important distinction.

These figures are issuance totals — not visa approval rates. They show how many visas were issued to nationals of each country during the month. They do not reveal how many people applied, how many applications were refused, how many remained pending, or how many applicants already possessed valid visas.

WHY ANTIGUA, DOMINICA AND HAITI LOOK VERY DIFFERENT

The sharp differences appearing elsewhere in the Caribbean cannot be understood without the major U.S. visa restrictions that took effect on January 1, 2026.

Under Presidential Proclamation 10998, the United States fully suspended most visa issuance to Haitian nationals, subject to specified exceptions. The same policy partially suspended issuance of B1/B2 visitor visas and several other categories to nationals of Antigua and Barbuda, Cuba and Dominica, among other countries.

That helps explain why the January and February statistics for some neighbouring states are dramatically different from those of St. Kitts and Nevis.

For Haiti, January’s table records only one B1 and one B1/B2 visa, while the February data show no comparable ordinary B-category issuance.

Cuba likewise recorded no B-category issuance in the January table, while February showed 36 standalone B1 visas. Those issuances should not automatically be interpreted as ordinary unrestricted processing, since the proclamation provides for limited exceptions and case-by-case national-interest determinations.

VISA-BOND RULES ADD ANOTHER LAYER

A separate U.S. policy also changed the landscape.

The State Department’s 2026 visa-bond list included Antigua and Barbuda, Cuba and Dominica effective January 21, while Grenada was added effective April 2. The Department says nationals subject to the programme who are otherwise eligible for certain B1/B2 visas may be required to post a bond under the applicable rules.

St. Kitts and Nevis is not listed among the countries on the State Department’s May 13 visa-bond list.

238 VISAS — BUT THE NUMBER NEEDS CONTEXT

For St. Kitts and Nevis, the early numbers are nevertheless striking.

238 B1/B2 visas in just two months means the Federation recorded roughly 46% more combined B1/B2 issuances than Grenada, about 24% more than Saint Lucia, and about 68% more than St. Vincent and the Grenadines during January and February.

The numbers may reflect several factors, including existing demand for U.S. travel, appointment availability, renewal patterns and the timing of applications. The published statistics alone cannot establish precisely why St. Kitts and Nevis recorded the higher total.

What they do establish is clear: among these four OECS states, St. Kitts and Nevis led U.S. B1/B2 visa issuances during the first two published months of 2026.

And in a year when major U.S. policy changes have dramatically altered visa access for several Caribbean nationalities, that early lead is worth watching.

Source: U.S. Department of State, Monthly Nonimmigrant Visa Issuance Statistics, January and February 2026.