More than 21 percent of Ghanaian nationals on student visas in the United States have overstayed their authorized period of stay, prompting a stern response from U.S. authorities and triggering the possibility of a travel ban on Ghana, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has revealed.
Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, addressing a press briefing in Accra on Thursday, disclosed that the student visa overstay rate for Ghanaians significantly exceeds the 15 percent ceiling deemed acceptable by U.S. immigration authorities.
“In addition to students overstaying, seven per cent of Ghanaians on Tourist Visas in the US have also overstayed their visa period,” he said, noting that this has placed Ghana among countries with high rates of immigration non-compliance.
Mr. Ablakwa explained that the U.S. government’s travel ban consideration is part of a broader set of immigration reforms under President Donald Trump’s administration. The U.S. has introduced 12 stringent criteria as part of its visa review framework, which includes concerns related to terrorism, extremist activity, deportation cooperation, and visa overstay patterns.
“The ban, according to US officials, will affect countries not complying with some 12 criteria that they have outlined,” he said. “They are also talking about countries not cooperating with the ongoing deportations by the Trump administration and there are issues to do with overstaying.”
Despite the troubling statistics, Mr. Ablakwa reassured Ghanaians that diplomatic efforts were underway to reverse any looming sanctions. He emphasized that Ghana’s profile is not comparable to countries involved in terrorist financing or harboring extremists.
“My assurance to the good people of Ghana is that we are engaging with US authorities,” he said. “We take the view that Ghana’s area of concern, which has to do with overstaying, is not a condition that should put us in the category of some of the countries, particularly those who are funding terrorism and who are harboring terrorists, violent extremists, criminals and those who are not cooperating with the US government with deportations.”
He added that meetings have already taken place between Ghanaian officials and U.S. authorities, with additional engagements scheduled with the U.S. State Department and the White House.
“We are quite optimistic that our longstanding, fruitful, enduring, very fraternal bilateral relations with the US will be taken into consideration,” he stated.
Mr. Ablakwa also used the opportunity to advise Ghanaians traveling abroad, especially students, to comply strictly with the terms of their visas and respect the immigration laws of their host countries.
“Respect the immigration laws of all countries just as we expect that when nationals of other countries are issued Ghanaian visas, they will comply with the terms,” he said. “In recent times, we have also been moving people who are in violation of our laws and have overstayed their welcome. So, every country deserves the right to carry on these interventions that we are doing.”
He further urged travelers to register their presence with Ghanaian missions abroad to allow for easier tracking and support during emergencies.
On deportations, Mr. Ablakwa confirmed that 56 out of 188 Ghanaians listed for deportation by U.S. authorities have so far returned home. He stressed that while Ghana acknowledges the right of the U.S. to enforce its immigration laws, deportees must be treated with dignity and humanity.
The Minister also confirmed Ghana’s cooperation with U.S. law enforcement in extraditing individuals allegedly involved in a $100 million fraud case, reflecting the strong bilateral ties between the two countries.
