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News
DISAPPOINTED US VISA APPLICANTS TO DEMONSTRATE!
Disappointed American Visa applicants in the Brong Ahafo Region numbering over hundred, are feverishly bracing themselves up for a massive demonstration against the American Embassy in Accra, Ghana over the issue of visa applications.
The purpose of the demonstration, according to one of the spokespersons for the group, Kwabena Asamani, is to “draw the attention of the government of Ghana to the suspicious conduct of the Embassy with visa applicants”.
Mr. Asamani told The Crusading GUIDE that US visa applicants were being unimaginably exploited and this, he said, must to be tackled decisively by the government.
The obviously disappointed spokesperson noted that “officers of the consular section of the US Embassy are showing gross disrespect to Ghanaians”.
He observed that after the Embassy had taken non-refundable visa fee of $100, they turned the applicants away, after only asking them “whether they have ever applied for a visa or not”.
He stated that these officers at the Embassy had no time to go through the required documents.
Mr. Asamani indicated that “it may happen that one may appear before the consulate for the first time without the relevant documents, but on a second appearance, such documents may be provided, therefore, it would be prudent for the Embassy to have time to inspect documents requested for before making a decision”.
The spokesman emphasized that it was bad for the Embassy to charge so much and yet have little time to interview and examine applicant’s documents.
He therefore on behalf of other disappointed applicants in the region, appealed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take the matter up and ensure that all applicants who duly pay for their visa fees are attended to during interview time.
“The question as to whether one has ever applied for a visa should not be used as a criteria for turning an applicant down”, he told this reporter.
Meanwhile, a source at the Public Affairs Office of the Embassy, told The Crusading GUIDE that “every applicant who appears before the Embassy is interviewed, but because documentation fraud is very high in Ghana, the Embassy is compelled to turn some visa applicants down”.
The US Embassy takes between $100 and $300 as application fee whether the visa is eventually issued or not.
Author: Francis Owusu-Ansah, Sunyani
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