Accra: The U.S. Embassy in Ghana processed about 38,000 Nonimmigrant Visa (NIV) applications in the first half of 2026, a nearly 60 percent increase compared to approximately 24,000 during the same period in 2025.
According to Ghana Web, U.S. Embassy Charge d'Affaires, Rolf Olson, while hosting journalists covering the tournament in the US at his residence in Accra, stated, "The U.S. Embassy in Accra adjudicated over 14,000 more Nonimmigrant Visa (NIV) applications in the first half of 2026 compared to the same period in 2025, a nearly 60 percent increase from approximately 24,000 to 38,000 applications processed, resulting in thousands of more visa issuances."
To manage the surge, partly driven by travel for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Cantonments-based embassy temporarily brought in around 30 consular personnel from U.S. missions worldwide to reduce waiting times. Olson remarked, "As a result, thousands of more Ghanaians were able to obtain U.S. visas than they would have under the previous staffing conditions, which is an investment in the people-to-people ties keeping our countries strong."