Ghana Among Top African Countries for U.S. Visa Overstays New Report Reveals

ghana overstays us visa, Ghana has been identified as one of the African countries with the highest visa overstay rates in the United States, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Fiscal Year 2023 Entry/Exit Overstay Report. The report reveals that 7.50% of Ghanaian travelers admitted for business or pleasure on B1/B2 visas overstayed their allowed time, with 1,910 overstays recorded out of 25,454 expected departures. Of these, 1,850 were in-country overstays, resulting in a 7.27% in-country overstay rate.

In comparison, Nigeria reported a slightly lower overstay rate of 7.14%, with 6,000 overstays out of 84,051 expected departures. Other African nations showed varying results, with Togo at a notable 19%, Burkina Faso at 12.13%, and Ivory Coast at 7.48%. Meanwhile, countries like South Africa (1%) and Egypt (4.16%) demonstrated much lower overstay rates, suggesting better compliance.

Despite Ghana relatively high overstay rate, it remains below the global average of 1.45%. Countries such as Haiti (31.38%) and Chad (49.54%) recorded some of the highest global overstay rates. The U.S. authorities are continuing efforts to address this issue, including public education campaigns aimed at raising awareness of the consequences of overstaying a visa, such as potential re-entry bans for up to ten years.

This data forms part of CBP ongoing efforts to monitor and enforce compliance with U.S. visa regulations, underscoring the importance of adhering to visa terms for international travelers.