FRIDAY, JANUARY 16, 2026
VOLUME 120, No. 03
CXC revising standards Page 2
www.thevincentian.com
Shallow is staying Page 9
Sailing Week launched Page 16
EC$1.50
No more Square Deal Page 17
First road fatality Page 32
US TO SUSPEND IMMIGRANT VISA PROCESSING:
SVG AFFECTED
Marco Rubio, US Secretary of State, confirmed on Wednesday that the State Department had instructed consular officers to halt immigrant visa applications from the countries affected. (Photo Source: University of Miami News) THE UNITED STATES says it will suspend the processing of immigrant visas for citizens of 75 countries, including St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The suspension, which will start on January 21, will not apply to applicants seeking nonimmigrant, or temporary tourist or business visas. In addition to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, other Caribbean nations on the list include Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis and St. Lucia, according to a list published by Fox Digital News. The US State Department, led by Secretary Marco Rubio, said Wednesday it had instructed consular officers to halt immigrant visa applications from the countries affected, in accordance with a broader order issued in November that
tightened rules around potential immigrants who might become “public charges” in the US. “The Trump administration is bringing an end to the abuse of America’s immigration system by those who would extract wealth from the American people,” the State Department said in a statement. “Immigrant visa processing from these 75 countries will be paused while the State Department reassess immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public
Right: Fitzgerald Bramble, Minister of Foreign Affairs, affirmed that his Ministry had received no official communication from the US on the matter at hand.
benefits,” the State Department added. The effort comes months before the United States is set to co-host the 2026 World Cup with nearly 2 million tickets sold to fans around the world. The Trump administration previously said “any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling to the World Cup” would be exempt from travel bans. Continued on Page 3.
SVG SHOWS SOLIDARITY WITH VENEZUELA announced plans for the rally at a press conference staged at the office of the A NUMBER OF GROUPS Venezuelan Institute for here are coming together to Cooperation and Culture, show support for the right of last Wednesday afternoon. the Venezuela people to be Joseph thinks that masters of their own country. military interference Today Friday January 16, compromises the Caribbean’s a Mini Rally, is scheduled to stance as a “zone of peace.” begin at 4:00pm at the Car He is keen on seeing Park next to the Post Office stability in the area and he is in Kingstown. It marks a anticipating that today’s continuation of the links rally indicates to all, that between Venezuela and St. Vincentians are not happy Vincent and the Grenadines. with the violation of any Marlon Joseph, Public nation’s sovereignty, and in Relations Officer of the particular, that life in Venezuela/Vincentian Venezuela has been thrown Friendship into upheaval as a result of Association, VENVIFA, the illegal and dastardly by WILLIAM ‘KOJAH’ ANTHONY
Marlon Joseph, PRO of Venezuela/ Vincentian Friendship Association, VENVIFA, announced plans for the rally and expounded on reasons for showing solidarity with Venezuela.
action of the US military. He cites the cancellation of international flights into SVG and across the region as an aftermath of the crisis created by the invasion of Venezuela by USA military forces on January 3, which resulted in the capture and removal from Venezuela of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Celia Flores, and he stresses the importance of safe “air
space”” as a prerequisite to the region’s economic stability. He is worried that with trade routes under scrutiny, the region is facing economic uncertainty. Joseph calls for the release of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. Continued on Page 3.