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The announcement was made by Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, in a post on X, where he revealed that Ghanaian citizens are now eligible to apply for five-year multiple-entry U.S. visas. The lifting of the restrictions follows Ghana’s recent cooperation in accepting U.S. deportees from Nigeria and other West African nations—an issue that had strained diplomatic relations and prompted Washington to impose the travel measures. Ablakwa noted that the policy reversal came after months of sustained diplomatic engagement and negotiations, adding that the new arrangement also includes “enhanced consular privileges” for Ghanaian travelers. He tweeted: “The US visa restrictions imposed on Ghana has been reversed. “Ghanaians can now be eligible for five-year multiple entry visas and other enhanced consular privileges. “This good news was directly communicated to me by US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Allison Hooker at a bilateral meeting earlier today, in the margins of the UN General Assembly. “I am really pleased that months of high-level diplomatic negotiations has led to a successful outcome. “It will be recalled that the US imposed visa restrictions on Ghana and other countries in July this year. The affected countries were slapped with a maximum three-month single entry visas and other limitations. In the specific case of Ghana, the Trump Administration said they were reacting to many years of visa overstays mainly by students. “It’s good to see healthier and stronger Ghana USA relations.” READ ALSO: Nigeria, Ghana Ministers Call For Calm Over Anti-Nigerian Protests Also confirming, @USEmbassyGhana said: “The U.S. Embassy is pleased to announce that the maximum validity periods for all categories of nonimmigrant visas for Ghanaians have been restored to their previous lengths. “The maximum validity allowed for the B1/B2 visitor visa is again five years, multiple entry. The maximum validity for the F1 student visa is again four years, multiple entry.” In July 2025, the United States government implemented significant changes to its non-immigrant visa policy for Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, and Ethiopia, sharply reducing the validity period and entry privileges for applicants from those countries. Under the revised policy, all non-diplomatic and non-immigrant visas issued to citizens of the four nations became single-entry and valid for only three months, a major departure from the previous system, which granted two- to five-year multiple-entry visas. The U.S. Department of State justified the move as part of its global visa reciprocity review, a policy framework designed to ensure that foreign governments grant American citizens visa terms comparable to those the U.S. extends to their nationals. The department also cited concerns over visa overstays in some of the affected countries. Just two months after the restrictions were introduced, Ghana accepted 14 deportees from the United States, many of whom had originally entered through Nigeria and other West African nations. Responding to public debate over the decision, President John Mahama defended Ghana’s position, saying the deportees were admitted based on the ECOWAS protocol on free movement, which allows citizens from member states to enter Ghana without a visa. “We agreed with (Washington) that West African nationals were acceptable because all our fellow West African nationals don’t need a visa to come to our country,” he said.
