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BASSETERRE / ST. JOHN’S / ROSEAU — February 27, 2026 — In the wake of mounting public debate and diplomatic ripples across the Eastern Caribbean, the newsroom behind Thursday’s explosive visa story is doubling down.

To our readers in Antigua & Barbuda: We reiterate unequivocally the accuracy of our February 27 report regarding a change in the validity of B1/B2 visitor visas issued by the United States to citizens of Antigua & Barbuda and Dominica.

The shift — from 10-year, multiple-entry visas to 3-month, single-entry visas for business (B1) and tourism (B2) — is not speculative. It is reflected directly on the U.S. Department of State Reciprocity Schedule, the official reference tool used by consular officers worldwide to determine visa issuance terms by country.

Readers can verify the information themselves via the State Department’s reciprocity portal (click the letter “B” for the B1/B2 category):
https://bit.ly/4sahnP1

Dated screenshots of the reciprocity tables for both Antigua & Barbuda and Dominica were included in the updated version of our original article, available here:
https://bit.ly/47gKPuG

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WHAT THE RECIPROCITY TABLES SHOW

The publicly accessible reciprocity tables for both countries list:

• Visa Classification: B-1, B-2, B1/B2
• Number of Entries: One
• Validity Period: 3 Months
• Fee: None (reciprocity issuance fee)

This represents a dramatic departure from the long-standing 10-year, multiple-entry arrangement that Caribbean nationals had grown accustomed to — an arrangement that facilitated repeated travel for tourism, family visits, medical care, conferences, and business engagements.

The implications are significant.

A 10-year, multiple-entry visa offered predictability and flexibility. A 3-month, single-entry visa introduces cost burdens, administrative repetition, and heightened uncertainty for travelers who maintain professional, familial, or commercial ties with the United States.

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NOT RHETORIC — OFFICIAL RECORD

In an era saturated with misinformation, we underscore a critical point: our reporting relied exclusively on verifiable, official U.S. government documentation.

The Reciprocity Schedule is not a rumor mill. It is an operational instrument used by U.S. consular services to determine visa issuance parameters. Changes reflected there are not theoretical — they govern how visas are granted.

Consortium journalists remain committed to the highest standards of accuracy. When official sources are available, we rely on them. When changes appear on a government database that directly affects citizens’ mobility rights, it is our duty to report it.

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REGIONAL CONTEXT: A SHIFT IN CARIBBEAN–U.S. MOBILITY?

This development lands amid a broader recalibration of U.S.–Caribbean relations. Over the past year, Washington has signaled stricter scrutiny toward certain Citizenship by Investment (CBI) jurisdictions in the Eastern Caribbean.

Both Antigua & Barbuda and Dominica operate CBI programmes that have come under periodic review by international partners. While no formal U.S. policy statement directly linking the visa validity reduction to CBI has been issued in this instance, analysts note the timing is geopolitically sensitive.

Mobility is leverage. Visa policy is diplomacy by other means.

For small island states whose economies depend heavily on tourism, remittances, diaspora engagement, and cross-border commerce, visa restrictions are not minor bureaucratic adjustments — they are structural economic variables.

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WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Governments may engage Washington for clarification or reconsideration. Diplomatic channels remain open. Reciprocity schedules can be amended, updated, or reversed.

But as of the publication of our report — and as reflected in the State Department’s own tables — the terms listed for B1/B2 visas for Antigua & Barbuda and Dominica are:

Single-entry. Three months.

We understand the anxiety this causes. We understand the shock. But journalism does not bend to discomfort — it bends to facts.

And the facts, as documented by the official U.S. Reciprocity Schedule on February 27, 2026, are clear.

Our original article, updated with dated screenshots for transparency and archival integrity, remains available here:
https://bit.ly/47gKPuG

Consortium journalists will continue to monitor this issue closely and provide updates as new official information becomes available.

In a moment of regional uncertainty, one principle remains firm:

Accuracy first. Always.