United States lifts non-immigrant visa restrictions on Ghana

The United States (U.S) has lifted the visa restrictions on Ghana applied under Section 243(d) of the United States Immigration and Nationality Act. as of Friday, January 17, 2020, visa processing will return to the normal procedures.

According to a statement by the U.S Embassy in Accra and copied to GhanaWeb, 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.

The statement further explained that; 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.

The move by the U.S, follows 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.

For additional information, please visit the U.S. Embassy in Accra website at gh.usembassy.gov/nonimmigrant-visas/.

Background

Earlier in February 2019, the U.S imposed visa restrictions on Ghana after it refused to accept the return of 7,000 Ghanaian nationals that it wants to deport. In 2018, Ghana had questioned the treatment and nationality of the deportees’.

The U.S embassy in Accra, therefore, limited the awarding of visas to certain applicants, such as the domestic staff of diplomats posted to America.

Ghana's ambassador to the US, Baffour Adjei-Bawuah had earlier indicated that an agreement had been reached to return the deportees.