AFRICA NEWS
A newly released report from the U.S. government highlights a notable shift in visa overstay patterns, showing Ghana surpassing Nigeria in the misuse of B1/B2 and F, M, and J non-immigrant visas between October 2022 and September 2023.
The comprehensive analysis sheds light on individuals who remained in the United States beyond their authorized stay without a recorded departure or an approved visa extension.
According to the findings, there were 510,363 suspected in-country overstays, representing 1.31% of expected departures, alongside 54,792 out-of-country overstays, or 0.14% of expected departures.
Ghana’s Visa Overstay Statistics
In 2023, Ghanaians were issued 25,454 B1/B2 visas, typically granted for business or tourism purposes. Of these, 1,910 individuals overstayed their visas, equating to a 7.50% overstay rate. For student and exchange visitor visas (F, M, and J categories), Ghana recorded an even higher overstay rate of 21%, with 537 out of 2,559 visa holders remaining unlawfully in the U.S.
The data also shows that Ghana’s visa compliance has worsened compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019, when 28,844 B1/B2 visas were issued, and the overstay rate stood at 5.09%. The student visa overstay rate in 2019 was 12.7%.
How Nigeria Compares
Nigeria, which issued 84,051 B1/B2 visas in 2023, recorded a marginally lower overstay rate of 7.14%, with 6,000 Nigerians staying beyond their permitted time. Nigeria had a 15.60% overstay rate for student and exchange visitor visas from 7,556 visas issued—significantly lower than Ghana’s 21% in the same category.
In 2019, Nigeria issued 177,835 B1/B2 visas with an overstay rate of 9.88%, while the student visa overstay rate was 13.43%.
