Ghana reply after US slam dem with three months visa restriction too

BBC News

11-07-2025

Di govment of Ghana don confam say di US bin take action to revise dia policy to issue prospective travellers three months visa instead of five years.
Tori bin dey dis week say di US govment don apply dis three-month restriction to most immigrant visas wey include B-class (business/tourism) and F-1 (student) visas for some African kontris including Nigeria and Cameroon.
Na so di foreign ministry of Ghana now don confam say di policy affect Ghana also for wetin di US describe as visa reciprocity.
According to di US state department bureau of consular affairs, holders for A-class visas wia be diplomats and govment officials go continue to receive multiple-entry visas wit validity from 24 to 60 months.
Dis updated guidelines wey dem publish under di US visa reciprocity and civil documents for Ghana, also affect student visa applicants wey dey enrolled for full time academic programmes for di US.
Dem also go get only one entry visa wey go expire afta three months.
Wetin di foreign ministry tok about dis visa restriction
Inside one statement by di foreign ministry on Friday, govment tok say "dis decision by di US dey different from di arrangement wey Ghana bin get wit di US."
According to di foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Ghana bin still dey issue five years multiple entry visas for US passport holders.
In fact, di ministry tok say dia embassy for Washington DC and New York since January don issue ova 40,000 visas.
Out of dis number, 28,626 of dem na multiple entry visas to Ghana.
"Consistent wit di bilateral relations, US passport holders dey entitled to maximum visa validity of five years."
"But some of di applicants bin dey apply for single entry visas based on di validity of dia passports," di statement tok.
Tori bin dey go round during di week say di US don take dis decision sake of Ghana bin revise dia visa policy wit di US wey dem reduce am from five years to three months.
But di foreign affairs ministry deny dis mata.
According to Oga Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Ghana don issue 70.42% of multiple long-term visa to di US passport holders according to bilateral relations between di two kontris.
"Aside di five-year multiple visas, Ghana also bin dey issue entry visa for six months, one year, two years, three and four years based on various considerations."
Di ministry too say dem bin dey work with di US govment to deal wit di mata wey don cause dis visa restriction in di first place.
Currently, di rate of visa overstay for Ghanaians for di US na 21% wey be above di acceptable level of 15%, according to di foreign affairs ministry.
Di ministry say, "di US don tell us say di main reason for dis visa restriction, na sake of pipo wey dey overstay dia visa duration - wey include students."
"Govment dey study di current development to consider dia options, but we dey committed to working wit di US govment to deal wit dis mata."
"We dey hope to fix dis mata especially as di US confam say di ogbonge reason for dis restriction na visa overstays - so we dey ensure say applicants align wit di visa application procedures and requirements for di US," di foreign affairs ministry add.
Nigeria, Ethiopia and Cameroon bin confam say di US don impose same restriction for dia citizens as well.
Nigeria don deny say im dey issue single-entry e-visas for three months to US citizens.
Presidential tok-tok pesin Bayo Onanuga tok on Thursday say Nigeria still dey offer multiple entry visas to American citizens.
Likewise, di US citizens fit get up to one year for Cameroon and 90 days for Ethiopia.
'Dis arrangement go affect plenty tins'
One former lawmaker for Ghana bin dey share im experience wit di new visa restriction policy.
Oga Ras Mubarak wey be former member of parliament for Kumbungu explain wetin im go through when im five-year visa bin expire.
"My visa expire for January dis year wey I apply to renew ; na so dem issue three-month single entry visa instead of di five years," oga Ras Mubarak write for im social media handle.
"Dis kind arrangement go affect many tins, tourism, business and education sake of pipo no fit to dey apply every three months for dia trips - dis na increasing cost and also go cause plenty administrative kasala."
Im add say, "no serious business pesin go put diasef through dis kind wahala, e no dey economically wise to apply for visa to di same kontri every three months."
"Pipo go now decide to explore oda markets for business, tourism and education wit di way di US now dey go."
Di former lawmaker say im now dey lead one campaign to begin road-trip from Accra to 39 African kontris to meet dia govments and promote visa-free policy for Africans wey dey travel for Africa to boost economy and create opportunity for African pipo.