Ahead of Antigua and Barbuda’s upcoming general election on April 30, United Progressive Party (UPP) political leader Jamale Pringle has laid out a slate of people-centric policy proposals designed to ease burdens on non-national residents, expand affordable housing access for young people, and position his party as a responsive alternative to the current sitting administration.
Speaking to energized supporters at a campaign rally, Pringle first announced that a UPP-led government would immediately extend the maximum allowed legal stay for Caribbean nationals residing in Antigua and Barbuda from three months to six months. Currently, eligible non-nationals must complete routine extension applications at the national immigration department every quarter, a process that Pringle argues creates unnecessary financial costs and logistical inconvenience for people who have made the twin-island nation their home.
“Instead of having to run to immigration every three months for an extension, we will extend the duration of your legal time to six months,” Pringle told the cheering crowd. “No longer will our Caribbean brothers and sisters have to make that repeated trip. This policy will save both their valuable time and hard-earned money.” Framing the change as a core part of the UPP’s “people-first” governing philosophy, Pringle emphasized that the policy adjustment demonstrates what a caring administration can deliver for all people who call Antigua and Barbuda home, regardless of nationality.
The UPP leader also used the rally to address long-circulated misinformation about the party’s position on non-national workers, announcing that his administration would remove all existing restrictions on tourism-sector work permits. “Our government will work for every single person living here in Antigua and Barbuda,” he affirmed, pushing back against claims that the UPP would restrict opportunities for foreign-born residents.
Beyond immigration reform, Pringle dedicated a large portion of his speech to youth-focused policy pledges, a key voting bloc the party is targeting ahead of the election. His signature youth proposal centers on expanding affordable land access for young citizens: Pringle announced that a UPP government would first complete a full audit of all remaining Crown land to map available parcels, then offer residential plots of roughly 8,000 square feet exclusively to citizens under the age of 35 at a capped price of no more than $5 per square foot. Over a five-year term, the party has committed to allocating a minimum of 2,000 such plots to eligible young buyers.
Additional pro-youth housing measures include a pledge to eliminate the longstanding requirement that new homeowners cover the cost of utility infrastructure, such as Antigua Public Utilities Authority electricity poles and water connections, when moving into newly developed neighborhoods. For those seeking alternatives to traditional single-lot homeownership, Pringle said the UPP would leverage public-private partnerships to build affordable multi-level townhouse communities that include shared public amenities such as fitness centers and children’s playgrounds.
Throughout his address, Pringle argued that the UPP’s core message of “government must work for the people” is resonating deeply with undecided voters across the islands. He claimed that growing numbers of residents are shifting their support away from the current administration and toward the UPP in the final weeks of the campaign. Closing with a rallying cry for supporters, Pringle urged attendees to mobilize their communities and turn out to vote on April 30. “Nothing will come to us. We have to go and fight for it,” he said, framing the election as an opportunity to remove the sitting government and return Antigua and Barbuda to what he described as the “glory days” of past UPP governance.