Foreign Affairs Minister E.P. Chet Greene is urging Antiguan and Barbudan students to exercise caution and responsibility on social media as the United States government implements a pause on new student visa appointments and expands its screening processes to include applicants’ online activity.
Speaking on WTP in response to the U.S. policy change, Greene called the announcement—paired with recent U.S. immigration enforcement updates—a “very challenging” development for Antigua and Barbuda and the wider region.
“Thank God for UWI,” he said, referencing the University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus. “Once again, the investment we made in bringing UWI to Antigua and Barbuda shows good thinking, vision, leadership, and a demonstration of a protection of the interests of our people.”
While acknowledging that not every student will—or should—stay home for higher education, Greene warned that the visa pause comes with deeper implications. He said the U.S. government is now conducting social media screenings as part of its student visa review process, with reports that several students’ visas at institutions such as Harvard have already been revoked.
“Your conduct, your very presence and position on social media… is now something that can be used against you,” Greene stated. “No longer can it be just treated as a flippant space where you talk as you like and say what you choose.”
The minister added that social media checks would not remain limited to student visas. He said the U.S. is moving toward incorporating such vetting in all visa categories—both immigrant and non-immigrant.
“We want our students to have a rounded view and opportunities in global universities,” Greene said, “but we must also prepare them for the evolving realities of U.S. policy.”
Greene pointed to political factors in the United States, particularly the hardline immigration stance of President Donald Trump, as driving the tightening of visa regulations.
“He was elected overwhelmingly, which means that there’s a buy-in on the part of the American public,” Greene remarked. “And so he feels obligated to carry through on the platform on which he came to office.”
The Foreign Minister encouraged students who had not yet applied for U.S. visas to consider alternatives, particularly the local UWI campus, given the possibility that demand may rise as students from other countries also seek new study options.
“We cannot fight this,” Greene concluded. “What we must do is be prepared and ensure our young people do not fall afoul of policies that are entirely out of our control.”