Accra, Ghana — The United States has officially lifted the stringent visa restrictions previously imposed on Ghana, reversing a policy that had limited Ghanaian citizens to single-entry visas valid for only three months. The new policy immediately restores eligibility for Ghanaians to apply for five-year multiple-entry visas and grants other enhanced consular privileges.
Ghana’s Foreign Minister, Samuel Ablakwa, announced the breakthrough on X (formerly Twitter), attributing the policy reversal to months of intense diplomatic engagement.
A Diplomatic Win and Consular Privileges
“The US visa restriction imposed on Ghana has been reversed. Ghanaians can now be eligible for five-year multiple-entry visas and other enhanced consular privileges,” Ablakwa tweeted. He confirmed that the news was directly communicated to him by U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Allison Hooker, during a bilateral meeting held in the margins of the UN General Assembly.
The U.S. Embassy in Ghana confirmed the development, stating: “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.”
Context of the Restriction
The restriction was initially introduced in July and applied to citizens of Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, and Ethiopia, reducing the duration of non-immigrant and non-diplomatic visas to a single-entry, three-month validity period. The U.S. Department of State had cited its global visa reciprocity process, aiming to address how American citizens were treated in those countries and concerns related to visa overstays.
The reversal for Ghana comes just a few weeks after the nation accepted U.S. deportees from Nigeria and other West African countries. Ghana’s President, John Mahama, had stated at the time that the country agreed to receive the West African nationals because the ECOWAS protocol on free movement already allows citizens from the region to enter the country without a visa, making their re-entry permissible.
