US Visa: Embassy in Accra Opens Thousands of Additional Appointment Slots Ahead of 2026 World Cup
The US Embassy in Accra has opened thousands of additional non-immigrant visa appointment slots.
It has also encouraged people planning to travel to the US with the 2026 World Cup to apply for a visa early.
Source: Getty Images
In a message on X, the embassy assured that it continues to process non-immigrant visa applications.
Applicants for non-immigrant US visas are to schedule their visa interview appointments at the embassy, per instructions online.
This assurance comes amid some angst about immigration to the US.
Last week, the US government announced an indefinite freeze on immigrant visa processing for Ghana and 74 other countries.
This is part of a broader effort to tighten immigration controls and prevent applicants deemed likely to become a public charge from entering the country.
Trump's crackdown on immigration to the US
The Trump administration has taken a hard stance on immigration, especially from the developing world.
At one point, Ghana was in line for a travel ban.
US President Donald Trump said he plans to permanently pause migration to America from Ghana and all other third-world countries.
The US president wrote in a Truth Social post that the decision would allow the US system to fully recover from past immigration policies.
Source: Getty Images
In December 2025, Trump suspended the US green card lottery scheme after a shooting at Brown University, in which two people were killed.
The BBC reported that US Homeland Security had announced the pause to ensure that no more Americans are harmed by what was described as a disastrous programme.
Ghana agreement with US to accept deportees
In September, President John Mahama first revealed that Ghana was receiving people deported from the US.
During an engagement with the press on September 10, Mahama said there was a bilateral agreement with the US allowing nationals from various West African countries to be sent to Ghana.
At the time, 14 deportees had already arrived in the country.
Source: Facebook
Mahama justified this, saying Ecowas's free movement protocol allowed citizens of member states to enter and reside in other West African countries without a visa for at least 90 days.
There was no indication that non-West Africans would be accepted in Ghana.
Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, later said Ghana was preparing to receive 40 more West African deportees from the US.
US removes visa restrictions on Ghana
YEN.com.gh reported that the US had reversed visa restrictions imposed on Ghanaians.
Ablakwa said the reversal of the restrictions took months of high-level diplomatic negotiations with the US.
The US was worried that Ghana was one of the African countries with high visa overstay rates in the US.
Source: YEN.com.gh
