US extends visa restrictions to Ghana after Nigeria policy shift

US extends visa restrictions to Ghana after Nigeria policy shift

US extends visa restrictions to Ghana after Nigeria policy shift
The United States government has introduced new visa restrictions for Ghanaian nationals, reducing the validity of most non-immigrant visas to three months and limiting them to single entry. This comes just days after the U.S. imposed similar restrictions on Nigerian citizens.

According to a circular issued by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs and shared with select media in Ghana, the new visa regime affects applicants in categories such as B-visas, which are used for tourism and business, as well as F1 student visas. Under the updated rules, most affected Ghanaian applicants will receive visas valid for only three months and will be allowed entry into the U.S. just once during that period.

Diplomatic categories, such as A-visas, are exempt from the change. Government officials and diplomats will continue to benefit from longer validity periods and multiple-entry privileges, ranging from two to five years. Family-based visa categories have also been modified, with K1 and K2 visas affected by the reduction, while K3 and K4 visas retain multiple-entry status for up to 24 months.

The announcement mirrors a similar development earlier in the week involving Nigeria. On July 8, the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria announced a revised visa policy, limiting most non-diplomatic non-immigrant visas to three months with a single-entry allowance. The embassy explained that the change was part of a global review of visa reciprocity—an approach that aligns U.S. visa conditions with those imposed by other countries on American citizens.

The policy revision has sparked diplomatic concerns in West Africa, particularly among business travellers, students, and officials who frequently visit the United States. While the U.S. insists the measure is tied to its principle of reciprocity, Nigerian officials have pushed back on the reasoning.

In a statement on Thursday, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, denied claims that Nigeria had changed its visa policy for U.S. citizens.

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Onanuga said Nigeria continues to offer five-year multiple-entry visas to American nationals and that there has been no policy reversal under President Tinubu’s administration.

He further clarified that the three-month single-entry visa recently introduced by Nigeria applies only to the e-visa category, designed for short-term travel and intended to replace the now-defunct visa-on-arrival system.

“The e-visa is a fast, online process that does not require applicants to visit the embassy and is delivered within 48 hours,” he said.

Onanuga added that although Nigeria offers e-visas to U.S. citizens, the United States has not reciprocated, and efforts are ongoing to resolve the disparity through diplomatic engagement.

As both Ghana and Nigeria are now subject to similar U.S. visa restrictions, attention has turned to the broader implications for U.S. relations with West African countries. Diplomats and analysts have noted that the changes may affect educational exchanges, tourism, and cross-border business engagements in the region.