The Cabinet of Antigua and Barbuda, at a specially convened meeting on Monday, 10 August 2026, agreed to a series of measures aimed at strengthening the country’s borders and enhancing national security.
The meeting included the National Security Council and senior officials from the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda, the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force, the Office of National Drug and Money Laundering Control Policy (ONDCP), the Immigration Department, the Customs and Excise Division, and the National Solid Waste Management Authority.
As part of the measures approved, the Cabinet has agreed that, with immediate effect, immigrants whose legal status in Antigua and Barbuda has expired will have a maximum of 60 days to regularize their status with the Immigration Department.
Persons who fail to regularize their status within the 60-day grace period will be required to leave the country. The Cabinet has indicated that such individuals may return to Antigua and Barbuda at a later date, subject to the applicable immigration requirements.
The Cabinet said the 60-day period is intended to provide persons with expired immigration status a reasonable opportunity to regularize their circumstances while strengthening the country’s border management and national security framework.
The Government is encouraging all affected persons to use the grace period to ensure that their immigration status is brought into compliance with the laws of Antigua and Barbuda.
