Pressure Mounts On US, Canada Embassies To Stop The 3-Year Waiting Time For Visa Interview
- The US and Canadian embassies in Accra are receiving backlash for scheduling visa application interviews for as long as three years
- The Ghana government has received loads of petitions over the matter but nothing seems to have changed
- The embassies have cited a huge backlog of applications, Covid-19, and reduced staff numbers among the reasons for the extended interview dates
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Pressure is mounting on the US and Canada embassies in Ghana to stop scheduling visa interviews for Ghanaian applicants for at least three years.
Source: Getty Images
It has emerged that currently if a Ghanaian applied for any kind of visa at their embassies in Accra, the earliest time they will be booked for an interview will be in April or May of 2025 – that is at least 36 months after the application.
Although the hundreds of Ghanaians affected by the situation have petitioned the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration for intervention, nothing has changed since last year.
A Ranking Member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, told Joy News on Tuesday, May 31, 2022, that has on many occasions intervened for some students at the US embassy.
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“Earlier students were most affected. We had to send in a statement and some dispensation of a sort was created for students who had to travel last year. But the reports we are receiving from the general public indicate that matters have gotten worse,” told Joy News.
The MP for North Tongu revealed that he faced a similar problem at the Canadian embassy.
“The Canadians also have a similar situation and we have raised it with the High Commissioner as well. They tell us that it is a result of the backlog of applications, Covid-19 and reduced staff,” he said.
He, however, urged the two embassies to sit up and resolve the matter because many Ghanaians, especially business people and students, were being unduly punished.
“This is absolutely unfair,” he stressed.
Some people who shared their experiences disclosed that they have had to travel to Liberia and Ivory Coast to apply for their visas to enter the US because, in those countries, the waiting time is much less.
(Watch from 1hr, 26 secs for the discussions on the delayed visa interview in the video below)
An affiliate of think tank, IMANI Africa, Selorm Brantite, also shared his experience with Joy News:
“The earliest time you would be booked for an interview, if you are eligible, is somewhere between April and May 2025. This is sad considering the fact that a lot of people making travel arrangements do not make them two years in advance,” he said.
On Twitter, many Ghanaians have also been sharing their experiences.
Nunoo Kojo, tweeting @TheNunooKojo recalls:
“It's really crazy…I tried booking in [order] to attend my brother's graduation I was so shocked the dates there ..what! What sort of Nonsense is that.”
Samuel Kwame Adade, tweeting @SamuelKwameAda1, commented:
“Out of 3,145 DV22 lottery winners, only 87 have been interviewed with barely 2 months to expire.”
Kwadwo Kusio @KusioKwadwo admonished:
“This is wat Ghanaians must fight against than rather fighting the Police service for giving appropriate response to the British HC.”
Visa-free countries for Ghana in 2022 list (USA, Europe and more)
In a separate story, YEN.com.gh reported that because most people were grounded at home during the pandemic, they have resolved to travel more if things went back to normal.
If this is you and you are scouting for your next destination, then you may be considering visa-free countries for Ghana in 2022. Which are they?
This article presents relevant information about visa-free countries for Ghana in 2022.
It will also highlight countries you can travel to with a visa on arrival. Visa-free countries for Ghana For clarity, visa-free countries for Ghanaians do not require a visa for you to enter or transit through them.
This means that a passport holder could get into the country's borders without a visa or obtain a visa via an electronic Travel Authorization, eTA, or on arrival.
Source: YEN.com.gh
