The revenue target set for 2011 by the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has been exceeded by about 20 per cent, Dr Peter Alex Wiredu, Director of the Service said in Accra on Friday.

He said as at the end of November this year, the service had mobilized GH?12,393,790.50 in revenue as against last year’s GH?10,990,000 target.

Speaking to journalists during an end of year get-together for the personnel of the GIS, Dr Wiredu attributed the increase in revenue to the fact that Ghana had become an attractive destination for investors.

He said more people are applying for working and resident permits.

Dr Wiredu said the bid to collect more fees from more people does not mean that the GIS had sacrificed vigorous scrutiny and screening of foreigners entering the country.

He explained that his outfit was scrutinizing police records of foreigners from their home countries through Ghana’s foreign missions.

Dr Wiredu said 70 illegal miners had been arrested while 26 illegal miners from South Africa had been apprehended at Tarkwa.

“Our operations, intelligence and enforcement units have been up and doing this year. Quite a number of foreigners who breached our laws were duly arrested and repatriated. Others are either pending before the courts or under active investigations,” Dr Wiredu said.

On documentation fraud, Dr Wiredu, who is also a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP), said the service through donor support had established a new centre at Dzorwulu in Accra.

The centre, the first to be established in the sub-region, is to curb the use of fake documents by travelers.

He announced that government has given the GIS the green light to recruit about 700 personnel, adding that 271 personnel had just passed out and the rest are undergoing training.

Dr Wiredu said if the service obtains its share of the nation’s budgetary allocation it would perform better in 2012.

He said the service would purchase fleet of vehicles in addition to what government offered in order to intensify patrols at the country’s 51 entry points.

DCOP Wiredu pledged the service’s commitment to work assiduously with officials of the Customs Division of Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to achieve the vision of delivering excellence in migration management to propel national development.