U.S. Lifts Restrictions; Ghana Regains Five-Year Visa – Foreign Affairs Minister
Accra, Ghana- Ghana has officially regained access to five-year U.S. visas, with all previous restrictions lifted, the Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa announced in Parliament on Wednesday, November 19. “We can confirm that Ghanaian visa applicants are now enjoying a restoration of the five-year visas. So, for the record, Ghana is not currently under any form of sanction” he stated.
The country had previously been placed on a 36-country restriction list due to high overstay rates, a criterion used by the Trump administration to impose visa sanctions. As a result, the country lost the five-year visa privilege and other related benefits.
Following what he described as “bilateral engagements” with U.S. authorities, Ghana has now been removed from the restriction list, restoring the full five-year visa regime for Ghanaian applicants.
Addressing concerns about Ghanaians detained in the U.S., the Minister noted that 388 nationals have been apprehended since January under Executive Order 14159, part of broader enforcement efforts rather than targeted at Ghanaians.
He confirmed that Ghanaian applicants can now fully benefit from the restored five-year visas and reaffirmed that the country currently faces no sanctions in its relations with the United States.
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Irene Anim is a news reporter and writer with DM Media Group