All current non-immigrant visa interview appointments remain valid on or before August 26 - US Embassy

The United States Embassy in Accra is moving to a new visa services provider on August 26, 2024.

Access to the old visa service provider’s website and services will cease on August 16, 2024.

Applicants will not be able to make a new visa appointment, cancel or reschedule an existing appointment, or access customer service, between August 16 and August 26, 2024.

Elliot Fertik, Consul General, U.S. Embassy in Ghana, addressing the press, said, "All current nonimmigrant visa interview appointments remain valid."

"That means if you currently have a visa interview scheduled with the U.S. Embassy, it is still valid and you should plan on attending the interview on the day of the appointment," he explained.

He said on August 16, the old appointment system and website would no longer be accessible for changes.

"What that means is that starting on the morning of August 16, you will no longer be able to schedule new appointments, will not be able to make visa fee payments, and customer service will not be accessible," he further explained.

In addition, he said, if an applicant had requested an emergency or expedited appointment and had not received a response by August 16, they would need to resubmit their request in the new scheduling system on or after August 26.

Mr Fertik clarified that "during the period between August 16 and August 26, you will not be able to make new visa appointments, and you will not be able to cancel or reschedule any existing appointments.

But if you have an appointment already scheduled during that time, it is still valid. We will still interview you, and you should still come to the embassy for your appointment."

The Consul General stated that on August 26, the Embassy would launch the new scheduling system and that the link to the new appointment scheduling website would be on the Embassy's website: gh.usembassy.gov and social media platforms.

He reiterated that "if your interview is scheduled before August 16, meaning it is from now until August 15, there is no change. You can attend your appointment. You'll still be able to reschedule it, and you'll have access to your appointment profile on the current visa appointment system."

"If your interview is scheduled between August 16 and August 26, again, your visa interview will still happen on those days. But you will not be able to

access your ustraveldocs.com account, which is the current visa appointment system, on or after August 16," he continued.

Mr Fertik advised that applicants should print out their appointment confirmation letters before August 16 if they had appointments during that period and that they should bring that with them to the appointment on their visa interview day.

"If you have an interview between August 16 and the 26, and you don't attend it or you're not able to make it, check on the US Embassy's website on or after August 26 for information on how to proceed.

If your interview is scheduled for August 26 or afterwards, no further action. The visa appointment is still valid, but you will need to log on to the US Embassy's website on August 26 for information on the new appointment system. And then you will need to go in there and make a new appointment," he said.

Mr Fertik further explained that, if an applicant had paid the visa application fee but had not been scheduled for an interview, they should immediately make a visa appointment before August 16.

He said the new visa services provider would not come with an extra cost to applicants as the cost of visas would remain the same, albeit with new service enhancement.

Speaking on what drove the backlog in visa demand, the Consul General observed that the number of people who paid for visa application fees in Ghana from 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to those who did in 2023, had tripled.

"So while certainly, we think this new system will provide some additional enhancements and will be more efficient, what is going to drive down the backlog is our efforts to try to just, again, do more interviews. And again, we've been doing a lot more, processing a lot more applications," he said.

Mr Fertik noted that with student visas, the Embassy had processed more visa applications for students than it did in the corresponding time.

"...we are doing everything we can to reduce the wait time as much as we can," he assured applicants.

The Consul General urged applicants to continue to monitor the Embassy's website and social media platforms for updates and seek clarity if need be.