Source: CNW
The Antigua and Barbuda government’s 2026 Immigration Amnesty Programme opened on July 2, marking the first such initiative since March 2022 and giving undocumented residents until September to regularise their status.
Immigration Minister E.P. Chet Greene said the initiative, introduced under the Immigration and Passport (Amendment) Act, 2026, targets individuals who have lived in Antigua and Barbuda for four years or more and have experienced gaps or irregularities in their immigration status during that period. The Department of Immigration confirmed the programme runs from Wednesday, July 1 to Wednesday, September 30.
It is the country’s first amnesty in over four years, with the last held in March 2022.
Applicants are required to submit a passport-sized photograph, a completed Amnesty Application Form, and police records from every country or territory in which they have resided over the past four years, according to the Department. A processing fee of EC$500 and a change-of-status fee of EC$150 also apply.
Piloting the enabling legislation in the House of Representatives, Greene outlined restrictions designed to prevent repeated use of successive amnesty programmes. Individuals who have previously benefited from amnesty on three occasions will not be eligible for the current initiative.
“A person who has applied for amnesty on three previous occasions is ineligible and will not qualify for the amnesty extended here and now by the government,” Greene told lawmakers.
The Department said incomplete applications may be delayed or rejected until all requirements are met.
Applications will be received at Immigration Headquarters Monday to Friday between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., on a first-come, first-served basis using a numbered queue system.
Outside those hours, members of the public can visit the Amnesty Information Desk at the entrance of Immigration Headquarters or call the Department at 562-6693, Monday to Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Officials stressed that eligibility does not guarantee approval, noting each application will be assessed individually in accordance with the Act and other applicable immigration laws and policies.
The Department is encouraging eligible persons to take advantage of the three-month window to regularise their status.