Barbados has been caught up in a sweeping United States (US) suspension of immigrant visa processing affecting nearly half the world, but Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Kerrie Symmonds has stressed that the move does not affect tourist travel and should be viewed as a temporary policy reassessment rather than a permanent ban.
Responding to growing public concern, Symmonds explained that the announcement from Washington related specifically to immigrant visas – applications made by those seeking to live permanently in the US and not to non-immigrant visas such as those for tourism, business, or short-term stays.
“As I understand it, the announcement made by the United States with respect to their new policy on visas relates to the processing of immigrant visas and not to the question of non-immigrant or so-called tourist visas,” the minister said.
International reporting indicated that the US State Department instructed diplomatic missions to pause immigrant visa processing for nationals of approximately 75 countries, including Barbados, as part of a broader tightening of immigration policy centred on so-called “public charge” provisions under US law.
Under these provisions, consular officers might deny immigrant visas if they determined that an applicant was likely to become dependent on public assistance after entry into the US.
“Simply put, that means the consular officer processing the visa application has formed the opinion that there is a likelihood that the applicant will at some point be reliant on United States public benefits, whether those benefits be health care,
housing, financial assistance, or some such,” Symmonds explained.
The foreign minister said the policy direction should not be regarded as unexpected, noting that the current US administration had clearly signalled its stance on immigration matters well before assuming office.
“The policy itself should come as absolutely no surprise, as the administration projected its intentions and its very clear perspectives on this matter even before assuming office,” he said.
Symmonds confirmed that within the Caribbean Community, most member states have been affected by the suspension, with limited exceptions. (CLM)
