A newly released report from the U.S. government reveals a significant shift in visa overstay patterns for the fiscal year spanning October 2022 to September 2023.
According to the findings, Ghana has surpassed Nigeria in misuse of B1/B2 (tourist/business) and F, M, J (student and exchange) non-immigrant visas.
The report identified 510,363 suspected in-country overstays, representing 1.31% of expected departures, and 54,792 out-of-country overstays, accounting for 0.14% of expected departures.
The analysis highlights growing concerns over unauthorized extensions of stay and aims to enhance oversight of international travel compliance.
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.