GIS deports seven foreigners from the country

Tema, March 27, GNA -- The Tema Metropolitan Office of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), between January and March deported seven foreigners from the country for illegally working in the metropolis. The seven whose names and nationality were not given were residing and working in the metropolis without the necessary documents including resident and working permits.

Mr. Emmanuel Otchere-Boakye, Sector Commander of the GIS, Tema, told the Ghana News Agency on Friday in an interview that two other foreigners have been given time to regularize their the stay in the country after proving that they are investors.

He said the foreigners were picked up at hotels and factories in the metropolis during checks in fulfilment of the Service's responsibility of monitoring and investigating allegations of foreigners bridging the country's regulations.

Mr Otchere-Boakye urged the public to volunteer information on foreigners with suspicious character to the Service to enable it to investigate the background of such people.

He cautioned people against the use of middlemen in acquiring passports instead they should follow the due process of submitting filled passport forms to any of the GIS offices nationwide. Mr. Otchere-Boakye advised Ghanaians not to wait until they urgently needed passport before applying for the document since that could compel them to engage the services of middlemen. He said the Tema office of the GIS received a total of 47,689 passport applications out of which 1,416 were successfully processed and issued by the Passport Office.

Mr. Otchere-Boakye attributed the small number of passport issued last year to frequent breakdown of equipment at the Passport Office as well as inadequate information provided by applicants. He appealed to applicants to provide accurate information when filling the passport form as well as attach the required documents for easy processing.

Mr. Otchere-Boakye asked the public to exercise patience after submitting their passport applications and explained that even though a passport must be processed within four weeks unforeseen circumstances sometimes resulted in delays.