US Embassy in Ghana issues 15,000 visas in 2009

The US Embassy in Ghana says it issued about 15,000 visas to Ghanaians travelling to the US in 2009.

Speaking to journalists at a brief ceremony to introduce a new fully web-based visa application process at the Embassy in Accra, Mike Evans, head of the Chancery Unit of the Embassy said the number of Ghanaians travelling to the US has increased.

Later in an interview ghanabusinessnews.com asked him what the total number of applicants were, he did not say, but said globally about 50% of all visa applicants are granted visas to travel to the US.

The new online visa application form will allow applicants to fill in their details and provide all the information required online and then get an appointment in five or six weeks. After filling the online form including the uploading of a digital photograph, applicants will print out a completion form to present at the Embassy as well as make payments on the day of appointment.

On student visas, Evans said students seeking visas to study in the US can register ahead of time and get a ticket for an appointment. He said interviews for student visas will be opened on April 7, 2010.

He indicated that the Embassy will allocate 2000 interview slots for students in the summer. He also said all that students need to apply for a visa is the I-20, and they do not need to pay for their fees before they applied for the visa.

The link to the new online application system will be available on the Embassy’s website by mid March. Ghana becomes part of the over 20 US posts globally where the new system operates.

By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi