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Washington lifts Visa restrictions for Ghana amid immigration partnership
The United States has lifted visa restrictions for Ghana, a key West African partner in Washington’s immigration policy, the American embassy in Accra confirmed on Saturday.
This announcement follows an agreement in which Ghana agreed to accept West African nationals deported from the United States, a deal initially announced by President John Mahama on September 11. The arrangement came amid tensions with the U.S., which had previously increased tariffs on Ghanaian goods and limited the number of visas issued.
The validity period for all non-immigrant visas for Ghanaians has been restored to five years with multiple entries, according to the embassy. Ghana’s Foreign Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, described the decision as the result of “several months of high-level diplomatic negotiations.”
Earlier in June, the U.S. had restricted most visas for citizens of Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, and Nigeria to three months and single-entry, prompting at least 14 West Africans to be deported to Ghana since early September. Many of these individuals had legal rulings in the U.S. against forced return, while Ghana has repatriated at least four of them to their countries of origin.
After several weeks of detention under military supervision in Ghana, some deportees were reportedly sent to Togo, left on their own, according to U.S.-based attorney Meredyth Yoon. Another plane has since arrived in Ghana, though the number of passengers remains unspecified. The deportation of individuals to countries where they have often never lived is a hallmark of President Donald Trump’s return to office.
The Ghanaian government emphasized that its acceptance of deportees is based on humanitarian considerations and does not constitute an endorsement of U.S. immigration policy, stated Minister Ablakwa.