Ghana sees surge in visa applications

 The number of visa applications processed in 2023 from Ghana has nearly doubled from 2022, Har­iprasad Viswanathan, Head – Sub Saharan Africa, VFS Global, has said.

He said applications pro­cessed at the Ghana Passport Premium Application Centres run by VFS Global have seen a 30 per cent rise during the year, underlining the desire to travel overseas by the residents of Ghana.

2023 was the year of a sig­nificant rise in global outbound travel across the world, including in countries such as Ghana.

Explaining why the demand for visas increased and what applicants need to keep in mind ahead of the current peak travel season, Mr Viswanathan, speaking during a media outreach session in Accra, said “Based on the initial trends, we expect the increase in international travel in 2022 and 2023 to continue this year as well”.

“Outbound travel has re­bounded last year to pre-pandemic levels with tourism, family visits, and educational as well as business trips being the common reasons for outbound travel from Ghana. Seeing the surge in demand for outbound travel and with limited appointment slots available, we encourage our applicants to apply for their visas as early as possible like their flight and hotel book­ings.”

As a market leader in the outsourced visa and consular services space for governments, he affirmed the company’s commit­ment to continuously engage in developing innovative solutions to enhance the overall visa applica­tion experience.

 “Applicants are regularly provided information about visa processing timelines, data protec­tion and privacy assurance, how to detect fraud and the organisation’s value-added services are regular­ly communicated via key touch points,”he said.

Mr Viswanathan advised ap­plicants to be sure to carry all the requisite documentation, includ­ing a printout of the checklist, to submit along with the duly filled application form as well as check the VFS Global website before planning to apply on important requirements, including measures to follow while visiting the Visa Application Centre for submis­sions.

On premium vehicle registra­tion and driver licence services, he said, Bridge Direct in collabora­tion with VFS Global would soon open an ultra-modern centre to provide such services to Ghana­ians.

The centre, he said, would pro­vide applicants with a convenient and comfortable environment to submit their vehicle and license applications.

“With the roll out of a new Ul­tra DVLA Centre in Accra, we are confident of providing transpar­ent and scalable solutions in the citizens’ space.”  

BY DAVID ADADEVOH

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