Opinions of Monday, 16 October 2023
Columnist: Dr. Kwaku A. Danso
The American visa process: Time to show the human side!
File photo: Flag of USA
There is the usual excuse that coming to America is a lofty dream and privilege and hence people should wait long, sweat a little, learn patience, so they appreciate the act of coming to America!
Of course, this is not the official excuse but fifty-five years ago when some of us migrated to America, it seemed to me the process had not improved much when during that same time the rest of America sent men and women to the Moon and Mars and today making the trip to Space is like a train ride!
About a year ago, a young friend and mentee of mine who had joined the Ghanaian brain drain to America at age 16 with his parents, and now a fine brilliant medical doctor, went to Ghana and got married! (Please don’t ask me why he did not find any woman in America!).
Where is the wife? The US Consular process takes about a year for this young man and his bride to be together!
What kind of torture is this? Or the US legal system fail to have a human conscience aspect when men and women get old and work for government?
For God's sake, what is the use of all this technology then today when people are being diagnosed with diseases and treatment using artificial intelligence, today!
If an American has married a woman or man who has a record as a criminal (the only possible reason may be to deny the Visa), there should be systems today to alert the office of such information within 24-48 hours if not immediately!
Humans have made progress in the last half-century and one expects that with increased Visa fees these men who enter politics and those working for our nations would exercise some better sense of empathy and improve some such administrative processes by now.
For God’s sake let America show its true mettle! It is not fair for a young woman who has married legally to be asked to wait for a year to join her husband! This process should not take more than a day or week in today’s world if we sincerely care about people and want to work hard and solve human problems!
No!! America can do better!
