Two Caribbean countries with long-running citizenship-by-investment (CBI) programmes, Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica, have been added to an expanded United States travel restriction regime announced by President Donald Trump on 16th December, 2025. The move, set to take effect from 1st January, 2026, has sparked concern across the region, not only because of its immediate impact on travellers but also because other CBI jurisdictions in the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) have so far been left off the list.
Under the new presidential proclamation, nationals of Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica will face a partial suspension of entry to the US. The order bars them from entering as immigrants and as non-immigrants on key visa categories including B-1/B-2 visitor visas and F, M and J student and exchange visas. US consular officers have also been instructed to reduce the validity of other non-immigrant visas issued to citizens of both countries “to the extent permitted by law,” signalling a tougher stance on future travel and visa renewals.
The new restrictions form part of a wider expansion of the US travel ban architecture, which now affects 39 countries in total. A White House fact sheet issued alongside the proclamation says the measures target states with “demonstrated, persistent, and severe deficiencies in screening, vetting, and information-sharing” and are “necessary to prevent the entry of foreign nationals about whom the United States lacks sufficient information to assess the risks they pose.”
In the case of Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica, Washington has gone further by explicitly flagging their CBI regimes. President Trump is quoted in regional media as saying the two countries have “historically had CBI without residency,” and the proclamation links their inclusion to concerns over how those programmes intersect with document security, identity verification, and immigration control. US commentary around the announcement also references high visa overstay rates, weak civil registries, and limited cooperation on repatriation and law enforcement information as broader factors shaping the list of affected states.
What remains unclear, and has prompted immediate questions from Caribbean governments and the diaspora, is the status of existing visa holders from Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica. While the White House guidance notes that lawful permanent residents and certain existing visa holders are exempt from the proclamation, it does not spell out in detail how border officers and consular posts will treat currently valid B-1/B-2, F, M or J visas held by nationals of the two countries. Dominica’s government has already indicated it is seeking formal clarification from Washington on the practical application of the order, especially for students, business travellers and long-standing visitors with unexpired visas.
Both Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica have moved quickly to defend the integrity of their CBI programmes. Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne has described as “an error” any suggestion that the country’s CBI operates without residency safeguards, insisting that Antigua and Barbuda’s framework has been repeatedly strengthened and presents “no risk whatsoever to security.” Dominica, for its part, has called the decision “regrettable” and is pressing for dialogue, arguing that its CBI due diligence has been tightened in recent years in line with international standards.
The regional conversation is now focused on one central question: why Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica, and not others. St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia and Grenada — all of which operate CBI programmes — were not named in the latest proclamation. Analysts point to several possible explanations. One is that Antigua and Dominica have been more prominently cited in US and European debates about “golden passports,” particularly with respect to marketing to third-country nationals in high-risk jurisdictions. Another is that Washington’s internal assessment may have given weight to specific statistical indicators, including overstay data and document security findings, which vary from country to country even within the OECS. A third possibility is timing: some neighbouring states have moved faster to adopt joint CBI principles, revoke high-risk applicants, and overhaul vendors and agents — steps that may have helped them avoid immediate listing, at least for now. These interpretations, however, remain informed speculation; the US has not published a country-by-country scorecard.
What is clear is that the proclamation is not a blanket ban on all categories of travel from Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica. It is framed as a partial suspension with built-in exceptions and a case-by-case waiver process. The fact sheet highlights exemptions for lawful permanent residents, some existing visa holders, diplomats, and individuals whose entry is deemed to be in the US national interest. Even so, the suspension of immigrant visas and common non-immigrant categories is expected to affect family reunification, tertiary education, business travel, and leisure visits, with knock-on effects on remittances, professional networks and regional air traffic.
For Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica, the immediate priority will be managing the diplomatic fallout and providing clarity to citizens. Both governments are expected to press the US for detailed guidance on implementation timelines at ports of entry, transitional arrangements for current visa holders, and specific remedial steps that could lead to the easing or lifting of restrictions. For the rest of the Caribbean — particularly CBI-operating states that have so far avoided inclusion — the episode may serve as a stark warning that the governance of investment migration programmes, and broader questions of identity management and information-sharing, are now squarely tied to visa policy in key destination markets.
As regional leaders, legal experts, and the travelling public absorb the implications of the announcement, one reality is already evident: the debate over CBI is no longer confined to revenue, branding, or EU relations. It is now directly intersecting with citizens’ mobility rights to the United States — and the choices Caribbean governments make in the coming months on due diligence, transparency and cooperation will help determine whether Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica remain outliers, or the first in a wider wave of states to face similar measures.
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