Ghana has been identified as one of the African countries with a high visa overstay rate 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 percent of Ghanaians on B1/B2 visas overstayed their permitted duration, with 1,910 overstays recorded out of 25,454 expected departures. Of these, 1,850 were in-country overstays, accounting for a 7.27 percent in-country overstay rate.
When compared to other African nations, Ghana’s overstay rate is slightly higher than Nigeria’s, which reported a 7.14 percent total overstay rate from 84,051 expected departures.
However, both countries stand out against the global average overstay rate of 1.45 percent, stressing the need for targeted measures to address the issue. Meanwhile, other African nations like South Africa (1.00 percent) and Egypt (4.16 percent) displayed significantly lower rates, reflecting better compliance with visa terms.
The report serves as part of CBP’s broader efforts to enforce visa compliance, with serious consequences for violators, including potential bans on re-entry to the U.S. for up to ten years.
U.S. immigration authorities continue to push public education campaigns in countries with high overstay rates, aiming to reduce these numbers and promote adherence to visa conditions.
The data underscores the importance of raising awareness among Ghanaian travelers about the implications of overstaying their visas.
