Ghanaian Travellers to Pay More for US Visa With New $250 Visa Integrity Fee
- Ghanaians travelling to the US will need to pay a so-called visa integrity fee, according to a new law
- The fee, captured in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, will be at least $250 and is in addition to other visa fees
- The new fee will not affect persons travelling with an Electronic System for Travel Authorisation
Ghana’s top stories, now easier to find. Discover our new search feature!
Ghanaians and other persons planning to travel to the US on non-immigrant visas will soon have to pay an additional $250 as part of a new policy introduced by the Trump administration.
The new visa integrity fee is part of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”.
Source: Getty Images
CNBC reported that the act was signed into law on July 4, 2025, and takes effect during the US' 2025 fiscal year from October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2025.
According to section 10007 of the Act:
“In addition to any other fee authorised by law, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall require the payment of a fee, equal to the amount specified in this subsection, by any alien issued a nonimmigrant visa at the time of such issuance.”
The fee will apply to all non-immigrant visa holders, including tourists, students, and temporary workers from Ghana and other countries that do not qualify for the U.S. Visa Waiver Programme.
It does not affect those travelling with an Electronic System for Travel Authorisation, which is mostly limited to citizens of countries like the UK, Australia, Japan, Singapore and many nations in Europe, who may not need visas to enter under the Visa Waiver Programme.
In addition to existing visa processing costs, the US has also increased the Form I-94 fee to $24, further raising the financial burden on travellers.
The fee will be paid when the visa is issued; thus, visitors whose visa requests are denied will not be charged.
Ghanaians flagged for overstaying US visas
Ghana has been noted as one of the African countries with high visa overstay rates in the US.
These findings were outlined in a United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Fiscal Year 2023 Entry/Exit Overstay Report.
Source: Getty Images
The report noted that Ghanaian travellers admitted for business or pleasure on B1/B2 visas recorded a 7.50% total overstay rate.
This amounted to 1,910 total overstays out of 25,454 expected departures. Of these overstays, 1,850 were in-country, reflecting a 7.27% overstay rate.
Ghanaian students studying in US increase
This news comes after reports that the number of Ghanaian students studying in the US rose by 45% for the 2023-2024 academic year.
Ghana was ranked number 18 among countries with students pursuing higher education in the US, marking the second year in a row the country ranked among the top 25 countries globally sending students to America.
This data was contained in an Open Doors Report published annually by the Institute of International Education.
Nigerian lady deported for attempted sales
YEN.com.gh reported that a Nigerian hair vendor was sent back to her country from the US after attempting to sell products on a visitor visa.
The woman was detained at the US airport after Customs and Border Protection (CBP) discovered her business intentions through her Instagram account.
Instructively, a visitor visa (B1/B2) cannot be used for business purposes, and the L-1 visa is required for such endeavours.
Proofreading by Samuel Gitonga, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
