Even though Ghana has been thwarted as the gate way to Africa, the country still lack behind certain policy directions in relation to visa application refund policy.
Currently, Ghana doesn’t have any universal policy or guideline for it citizens to demand refund from embassies when their visa application forms are refused.
This development has empowered some embassies in the country to act evasive towards citizens by refusing them visas without any reasonable grounds.
Based on this, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Marrer Ghana Limited and Susatgad Boat Industries, Mr. Novihoho Afaglo is appealing to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration and Interior through the Ghana Immigration Service to immediately adopt a visa refund policy.
Mr. Afaglo said the policy will help citizens demand for visa refund when the embassies denied their visa applications wrongly or intentionally.
Speaking to the Republic Press, he said is high time the Ghana government adopt policies to check activities of these embassies and how they are treating Ghanaian citizens.
“It is sometimes strange and unexplainable how these embassies deny visa applications forms to Ghanaians whose documents and paper works are genuine,” he stated.
Mr. Afaglo mentioned Nigeria as one of the countries in African that has taking a step further in the visa refund policy.
The policy in Nigeria states that a refund will be issued, upon request, and with supporting proof and or evidence from the customer, for an acceptable reasons for a refund to be made.
“Notwithstanding the above, Nigeria Immigration Services reserves the right to grant or deny refunds to anyone for any reason.”
He therefore called on the government of Ghana to initiate programmes towards the immediate adoption and implementation of visa refund policy to easy the pressure of citizens whose applications are denied without refund.
Source: Philip Antoh
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I don't see the head nor tail of this news story. It is a load of bull ***barred word***. It appears there are no news editors at Peace FM so anything goes, eh? The first sentence of the report, which reads in part "Even though Ghana has been thwarted as the gate way to Africa..." should rather be "Even though Ghana has been TOUTED as the GATEWAY to Africa..." (the appropriate words to be used have been capitalized for the writer and editors to notice them). Second, Ghana cannot adopt a visa refund policy that applies to embassies of foreign countries in Ghana. Ghana can only adopt a visa refund policy for itself, that is, for its embassies around the world. When a Ghanaian decides to apply for a visa to another country, he/she implicitly or explicitly agrees to the terms dictated by that country to which he/she has applied for a visa. If the terms include a no-refund policy, then that is all there is to it. Ghana cannot instruct foreign embassies to do otherwise. By the way, Ghana also has a no-refund policy currently. The Nigerian example in this story provides no clarity and it is not clear why the news writer and the subject of the news think it is a good example of a no-refund policy to be adopted by Ghana. If Nigeria has decided that its embassies will refund application fees to those that are denied Nigerian visas, that is Nigeria's decision. Such a policy is not applicable to foreign embassies in Nigeria.
As for this Man he’s always talking wisdom