How to apply for U.S Visa in Ghana. A citizen of a foreign country who wishes to enter the United States must first obtain a visa, either a nonimmigrant visa for temporary stay or an immigrant visa for permanent residence.
Citizens of qualified countries may be able to visit the U.S. without a visa under the Visa Waiver Program. All travelers coming to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program must obtain authorization through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) system prior to initiating travel to the United States.
If you do not qualify for the Visa Waiver Program or are traveling to study, work, participate in an exchange program, or any other purpose that does not fall under a B visa purpose of travel, you will need a nonimmigrant visa.
A visa does not guarantee entry to the United States. A visa simply indicates that a U.S. consular officer has determined that you are eligible to apply for entry to the United States for a specific purpose.
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How To Apply For U.S Visa In Ghana
- Pay your visa application fees at any GTBank branch in Ghana.
- Fill out the DS-160 form at https://ceac.state.gov/genniv/.
- After completing your DS-160 form, create a profile in their system. Follow the link on their platform and select ‘New user.’
- After filling out all of the fields, create a password. This takes you to a dashboard.
- Make your appointment. On the left-hand side, click the schedule appointment’ button. Read on to learn about all of the documents required for your appointment meeting.
- Attend your appointment at the US Embassy in Accra on the scheduled date and time.
- When your visa is approved, you can pick up your passport at DHL’s North Ridge headquarters.
US Visa Types
Check out US Visa Types below;
Nonimmigrant Visas
A nonimmigrant visa is used by tourists, business people, students, or specialty workers who wish to stay for a particular period of time in the United States to accomplish specific purposes. According to U.S. visa laws and regulations, most nonimmigrant visa applicants must demonstrate to the consular officer that they have strong ties to their country of residence and must show that they intend to depart the United States after their temporary stay.
Immigrant Visas
Immigrant visas are for persons who plan to live permanently in the United States. The immigrant visa permits an application for admission to the United States as a Legal Permanent Resident and is a potential step toward acquiring U.S. citizenship. Most immigrant visa applications begin when a qualified family member who is a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident submits a petition on behalf of the intending immigrant to the U. S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) in the United States or at a U.S. Embassy abroad. It is also possible for a U.S. employer to file a petition for a foreign national whom the employer wishes to hire for an eligible permanent position.
How much is US Visa fee in Ghana
The application fees are shown below and apply to one visa application;
The application fee for the most common nonimmigrant visa types is $160. This includes tourist, business, student, and exchange visas.
Most petition-based visas, such as work and religious visas, are $190.
K visas cost $265 and the fee amount for E visas is $205.
Please note that visa fees for K applicants should be paid at any GT bank locations in Ghana.
Visa Types and Conditions with No Fee Required
Applicants for A, G, C-2, C-3, NATO, and diplomatic visas (as defined in 22 CFR 41.26)
Applicants holding J visas and who are participating in certain official U.S. Government-sponsored educational and cultural exchanges
Replacement of a machine-readable visa when the original visa was not properly affixed or the visa needs to be reissued through no fault of the applicant
Applicants exempted by international agreement, including members and staff of an observer mission to United Nations Headquarters recognized by the UN General Assembly, and their immediate families
Applicants traveling to provide certain charitable services
U.S. Government employees traveling on official business
A parent, sibling, spouse, or child of a U.S. Government employee killed in the line of duty who is traveling to attend the employee’s funeral and/or burial; or a parent, sibling, spouse, son or daughter of a
U.S. Government employee critically injured in the line of duty for visitation during emergency treatment and convalescence.
How to Apply for a Nonimmigrant Visa
Step 1
For Nonimmigrant Visa applicants:
Determine your visa type by reading Common Nonimmigrant Visas. Each visa type explains the qualifications and application items. Choose the visa type that applies to your situation.
Be sure to also review the Visa Waiver Program. If your country participates in the Visa Waiver Program, you do not need to apply for a visa if you are traveling for business or pleasure and will only be staying in the United States for 90 days or less.
Step 2
Once you have determined the correct visa type, you must pay the visa fee. The visa fee page lists the visa types and correlating visa fee in US dollars and native currency.
To pay your visa fee, read the Bank and Payment Options page. This page explains how to make your visa fee payment. You must keep your receipt number to book your visa appointment.
Step 3
The next step is to complete the DS-160 form. Be sure to read the Guidelines for Completing the DS-160 Form carefully. All information must be correct and accurate. Once the form is submitted, you cannot make any changes. If you need assistance, please consult an immigration lawyer or translator. The call center cannot help you complete your DS-160. You will need your DS-160 number to book your appointment.
Step 4
You are almost ready to schedule your visa appointment!
Now you will need to create a profile in our system. Follow this link and click on New User.
Complete all fields and create a password. Once you are in the system, you will see your dashboard.
On the left-hand side, click on Schedule Appointment.
This will start the process of scheduling your appointment. For each applicant being scheduled you will need:
The applicant’s passport number
The receipt number from GT Bank receipt.
The ten (10) digit barcode number from the applicant’s DS-160 confirmation page
As you go through the process you will be able to select your visa type, enter personal data, add dependents, select your document delivery location, confirm visa payment and finally, schedule your appointment.
Step 5
Visit the U.S. Embassy on the date and time of your visa interview. Be sure to check the Schedule My Appointment page for the necessary documentation needed for your appointment.
Step 6
If your visa is approved, the visa will be sent to the document drop-off location you selected when you scheduled your appointment.
How to Apply for a immigrant Visa
Submit a pre-appointment request and schedule an IV appointment. To Submit a Pre-Approval appointment request and to schedule an appointment After Receipt of Approval Notification from the Embassy:
Step 1
Determine the visa type you are applying for.
Step 2
Complete the DS-160 (for K visa applicant) or DS-260, as applicable.
Step 3
If you have not created a profile previously in our system, please click here. After you have successfully created a profile, on your dashboard, click “New Application/Schedule Appointment” and proceed to respond to the questions as prompted.
If you have an existing profile in USTravelDocs, please click here to enter your username and password. On your dashboard, please click “New Application/Schedule Appointment” and proceed to respond to the questions as prompted.
If you have forgotten your password, please click the “Forgot your password”. A temporary password will be sent to the email address registered in your profile. You may contact the call center if you require assistance.
Step 4
Select “New Application/Schedule Appointment”; select the visa category and visa class as it applies to you and continue with the scheduling process.
In step 5 of the scheduling process, enter your personal information or update personal information if necessary. If you have dependents, enter the name and details of your dependents at step 6 of the scheduling process.
Select your document delivery location of choice and enter your case ID at step 8 of the scheduling process.
After you have entered your valid case ID, you will be routed to the Schedule Consular Appointment page with the message “Your request to schedule an appointment has been received and will be reviewed. You will receive an email once your request is approved”.
You will not be able to schedule an appointment until your request for an appointment has been approved by the U.S. Embassy. Please be patient while you wait for the email notification.
Step 5
When you receive your appointment approval notification from the Embassy, log in to your profile with your username and password, and on your dashboard, click “Continue” and schedule your appointment to a suitable day and time as allocated by the US Embassy.
You will be required to bring a printed copy of your Appointment Confirmation letter, your current passport, and all other supporting documents to the visa interview.
Only applicants with scheduled appointments will be admitted to the U.S. Embassy.
DO NOT MAKE TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS UNTIL YOUR VISA HAS BEEN ISSUED.
All applicants are processed as efficiently as possible and the U.S. Embassy strives to keep the wait time for appointments as short as possible. That said, the earlier you book your appointment, the more likely you are to be able to get the interview date and time you want.
Nonimmigrant visa applicants are encouraged to apply at least three (3) months in advance of the intended date of travel. So remember, apply early!
How to Pay for U.S Visa Fee in Ghana
The non-immigrant visa application fee for the United States can be paid at any GTBank branch nationwide. Request a U.S. visa fee collection slip at the bank.
Fill out your payment information (amount and phone number) and submit it. Maintain the receipt for your records.
Alternatively, if you have a GTBank account that is enabled for online transactions, you can pay the US visa application fee via online transfer.
How to check US Visa status
Send an email to passportstatus@ustraveldocs.com and in the subject and/or body enter a valid passport number exactly as it was entered at the time the appointment was scheduled, and you will receive an automatic response with the status.
How to answer US Visa interview questions
United States Visa application requires the applicants to appear for a visa interview, there are certain types of visas that require a visa interview. Based on the applicant’s nationality, the purpose of travel, type of the visa, duration of stay, validity of the visa, entry scheme, and other factors, an applicant may or may not be required to appear for the visa interview.
The United States Embassy/Consulate requires the applicants to appear for a visa interview in order to assess the applicant’s eligibility for the particular type of visa. During the visa interview, the consular officer will ask certain questions specific to the visa category and also verify the details/documents provided by the applicant.
While answering the questions asked by the consular officer, the applicant needs to answer directly with confidence and also reassure his/her ties to the native country. The applicant needs to stress his/her intentions of coming back to the native country after the completion of the trip.