Antigua and Barbuda’s Chief Immigration Officer, Katrina Yearwood, has urged participants of the 2022 Immigration Amnesty Programme to return to the department and finalize their applications, warning that many remain in legal limbo.
The programme attracted more than 3,000 applicants, who were issued acknowledgment cards at registration. However, Yearwood said many misunderstood the cards as proof of legal status. “They thought that when they received the card, the card automatically gave them a passport or automatically gave them residency,” she told Observer.
Instead, the cards served only as evidence of participation, with applicants still required to lodge formal requests for citizenship or residency. Yearwood said the misconception has left some individuals without legal status for over a year, with the risk that they may now need another amnesty opportunity.
She stressed that no new applications are being accepted and warned that further delays could deepen the applicants’ legal difficulties.
