U.S. Lifts Non-Immigrant Visa Restrictions on Ghana

The United States has lifted the visa restrictions 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.

The visa restrictions was issued in February 2019 as the US Department of Homeland Security and Department of State said Ghana was failing to co-operate in the process of accepting its citizens who are on deportation order from the U.S.

Official press release from the U.S. embassy Ghana says 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.

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.

This 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.