…As Embassy stops issuance of NIVs to Ghanaian diplomats from today
More than four days after the US Department of Homeland Security announced a visa restriction on Ghana government executive, legislative employees and their families for not providing passports to citizens on deportation orders in the US, to enable them to be profiled and brought to Ghana.
US said the punitive measure for the failure of the Ghana government to provide passports its citizens is in line with US foreign policy and shall stay until Accra has complied.
Addressing the media Friday, February 1, 2019 at the US Embassy in Accra, newly appointed Ambassador, Stephanie S. Sullivan explained that the restrictions affect holders of Ghanaian diplomatic passports as well.
Besides, effective today, February 4, 2019, the US government said its Embassy in Accra will discontinue issuing all non-immigrant visas (NIV) to domestic employees (A3 and G5) of Ghanaian diplomats posted in the United States.
“It is important to note that A3 and G5 visa applications will be processed, but no visas in these categories will be issued while these restrictions remain in effect,” it said.
A statement made available to Business Hilights Ghana Bureau chief by US Embassy disclosed that consular officers will limit the validity period and number of entries on new tourist and business visas (B1, B2, and B1/B2) for all Ghanaian executive and legislative branch employees, their spouses, and their children under 21 to one-month, single-entry visas. Visas issued prior to the effective date of these visa restrictions will not be affected.
However, Sullivan averred that officials travelling to the US on official visits and on US government exchange programmes will not be affected. Other citizens, she explained, are not affected.
Explaining more on why Accra need to provide passports to its nationals as a clear proof of the citizenship of the individuals on deportation orders, the Ambassador said it is the duty of the Ghana government to prove the citizenship of the individuals and not that of the US government, which works to establish the citizenship of people claiming to be Americans.
She averred that without providing the individuals with Ghanaian passports, the US government is unable to deport them using commercial flights, it has to use charter flights. She therefore urged the Ghana government to fulfill the conditions of the international convention it signed and provide its citizens with passports so they can be deported to Ghana.
Analysts recalls that Ghana remains important to the US as it continues to use Ghana as a regional platform to run its programmes in the region including security, the Young African Leadership Initiative (YALI), and USAID.
