— Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the United States, Sir Ronald Sanders, has dismissed as false a claim that the validity of U.S. visas issued to holders of Antigua and Barbuda passports has been reduced.

The assertion was made in an article published Thursday by the Virgin Islands Consortium, which reported that visa validity had been cut to three months based on what it described as updated reciprocity schedules from the U.S. State Department.

The article also indicated that the alleged reduction applied to Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica, but did not state when the reciprocity schedules were reviewed.

Sir Ronald said the information in the online report is inaccurate.

He added that he remains in discussions with U.S. officials regarding visa restrictions announced by Washington late last year, as well as a subsequent pause in the processing of immigrant visas, or green cards, affecting 75 countries.