BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – Antigua and Barbuda on Wednesday said it has not been officially informed of the latest migration policy of the United States, where Washington announced it was suspending the processing of immigrant visas for 75 countries, including 12 in the Caribbean Community (Caricom) region.

Antigua and Barbuda ambassador to the United States, Sir Ronald Sanders, in a statement, said that he has been made aware of United States and regional media reports that the United States Department of State is contemplating a suspension of the visa processing.

“Upon becoming aware of these reports, I made immediate inquiries with the United States Department of State. As of this moment, no formal announcement has been made, and no official communication has been issued to the Embassies of the countries reportedly affected,” he said.

Sir Ronald said that he was advised by senior officials of the Department of State that this matter arises from a new requirement under the direction of the White House.

“However, contrary to some media reports, the measure under consideration does not apply to all visa categories. It relates only to applications for immigrant visas (commonly referred to as green cards), which are subject to a temporary pause of up to sixty (60) days while vetting and screening procedures are reviewed,” he added.

Sir Ronald said that he wanted to emphasise that “at this stage, no written notification has been provided to embassies, and the information available to me is based on direct conversations with senior officials, rather than on any formal directive.

“It is also important to clarify that applications for immigration to the United States are matters exclusively between the individual applicant and the Government of the United States. The country of nationality or origin of an applicant has no legal or administrative role in decisions relating to the grant or refusal of immigrant status,” he said.

The move by United States President Donald Trump is the latest move designed to prevent foreigners from visiting the North American country.

“The Trump administration is bringing an end to the abuse of America’s immigration system by those who would extract wealth from the American people,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said.

He said that the immigrant visa processing from the 75 countries will be paused while the State Department reassesses immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits.

The Caricom countries named are Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, Saint and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago are not included in the new policy.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X that the countries affected would include Somalia as well as Russia and Iran.

The Antigua and Barbuda diplomat said that in the meantime, the Gaston Browne administration “continues its representations to the relevant United States authorities to secure the removal of Antigua and Barbuda from the list of countries subject to partial visa restrictions, including the requirement for certain visa applicants to post a bond. These efforts remain ongoing and active,” he added.