US Lifts Ghana Visa Ban
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The United States of America says it has lifted visa restrictions on Ghana under Section 243(d) of its Immigration and Nationality Act.
In a statement, the US Embassy in Accra said, “As of Friday, January 17, 2020, visa processing will return to the normal procedures.”
IT further announced that the validity period and number of entries on new tourist and business visas (B1, B2 and B1/B2) for all Ghanaian executive and legislative branch employees, their spouses and their children under 21 will revert to receiving the normal validity based on reciprocity, which is currently five years with multiple entries.
“All pending non-immigrant visas (NIV) to domestic employees (A3 and G5) of Ghanaian diplomats posted in the United States that were received during the visa restrictions will now be processed,” it stated.
The US government last imposed visa restrictions on Ghana for what it said was Ghana government’s failure to issue travel documents to over 7,000 Ghanaian citizens awaiting deportation from the United States.
The Department of Homeland Security, in a statement, then ordered the US Embassy in Ghana to discontinue issuing all non-immigrant visas (NIV) to two groups of Ghanaian applicants, starting February 4, 2019.
Domestic employees of Ghanaian diplomats posted to the United States were affected whilst limitations were also placed on the validity and the number of entries on new tourists and business visas for all Ghanaian executive and legislative branch employees, their spouses and their children under 21 years to a one-month single entry.
Since the imposition of the restrictions some workers of public institutions who used to receive five-year visas got up to three weeks maximum, with others having far less.
But the US Embassy said the ban was lifted following the establishment of a mutually agreed process for the identification, validating and issuance of travel documentation to Ghanaian citizens under final orders of removal in a manner consistent with international standards issued by the International Civil Aviation Organization, of which Ghana is a Member State.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchir