The United States Embassy in Ghana has lifted the visa restrictions placed on Ghanaians, restoring full visa privileges to the country. Under the new terms, the maximum validity for the B1/B2 visitor visa is once again five years with multiple entry.
This marks a reversal of the restriction announced in July, which had limited Ghanaians to a maximum of three-month, single-entry visas. The same measure was applied to Nigeria at the time, but so far, no relief has been extended to Nigerians.
“The U.S. Embassy is pleased to announce that the maximum validity periods for all categories of nonimmigrant visas for Ghanaians have been restored to their previous lengths. The maximum validity allowed for the B1/B2 visitor visa is again five years, multiple entry. The maximum validity for the F1 student visa is again four years, multiple entry,” the Embassy said in a statement on its official X account on Saturday.
Ghana’s Foreign Minister, Samuel Ablakwa, confirmed the development and hailed it as the outcome of sustained diplomatic efforts. “The U.S. visa restriction imposed on Ghana has been reversed. Ghanaians can now be eligible for five-year multiple-entry visas and other enhanced consular privileges,” he posted on X.
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He further revealed that the news was directly communicated to him by U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Allison Hooker, during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. “I am really pleased that months of high-level diplomatic negotiations have led to a successful outcome,” he added.
Reports suggest the restoration of Ghana’s visa privileges is linked to the country’s recent agreement to accept deported African nationals from the United States.
Earlier this month, Reuters reported that Ghana had accepted 14 West African nationals deported from the U.S. Ghana’s President, John Dramani Mahama, did not set a cap on the number of deportees the country would take, arguing that West Africans “don’t need a visa anyway” to enter Ghana.
By contrast, Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar firmly rejected similar U.S. requests, stressing that Nigeria would not be used as a “dumping ground” for deportees. “It would be difficult for countries like Nigeria to accept Venezuelan prisoners into Nigeria. We have enough problems of our own, we cannot accept Venezuelan deportees to Nigeria. We already have 230 million people,” Tuggar said in a televised interview.
Aside from Ghana, Rwanda has also recently accepted seven migrants deported from the U.S. in August, following an agreement that allows the transfer of up to 250 people. In July, the U.S. deported five individuals to Eswatini and eight others to South Sudan.
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Image Credit: ModernGhana
