A recent report from the United States government reveals a significant shift in visa overstay statistics, with Ghana surpassing Nigeria in the misuse of B1/B2 and F, M, and J non-immigrant visas for the period from October 2022 to September 2023.
The report, details the rates of visa overstays, indicating individuals who remained in the U.S. beyond their authorized admission period without any record of departure or extension. The overall findings show that there were 510,363 suspected in-country overstays, accounting for 1.31% of expected departures, alongside 54,792 out-of-country overstays, which represent 0.14% of expected departures.
Ghana’s Visa Overstay Rates
In 2023, Ghanaians received 25,454 B1/B2 visas, with 1,910 individuals overstaying, resulting in a 7.50% overstay rate. This category includes non-immigrants admitted for business or pleasure through air and sea points of entry. For F, M, and J visa categories—designated for students and exchange visitors—Ghana saw an abuse rate of 21%, with 537 out of 2,559 visas issued resulting in overstays.
For comparison, in 2019 before the pandemic, Ghanaians were issued 28,844 B1/B2 visas with a lower overstay rate of 5.09%. The student visa overstay rate during that year was 12.7%.
Nigeria’s Visa Overstay Rates
In contrast, Nigeria had 84,051 B1/B2 visas issued in 2023, with a slightly lower overstay rate of 7.14%, as 6,000 Nigerians overstayed their visas. For student and exchange visitor visas (F, M, J), Nigeria issued 7,556 visas with an overstay rate of 15.60%, significantly lower than Ghana’s figure.
Historically, prior to the pandemic in 2019, Nigeria issued a total of 177,835 B1/B2 visas with an overstay rate of 9.88%. The student visa overstay rate was also notable at 13.43%.
Regional Context
The report also provides context on other African nations’ visa abuse rates: Mali at 5.27%, Ivory Coast at 7.48%, Togo at a striking 19%, and Burkina Faso at 12.13%.
An overstay is defined as remaining in the U.S. beyond the authorized admission period. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection distinguishes between two types: suspected in-country overstays—where no departure is recorded—and out-of-country overstays—where departure occurs after the authorized period has expired.
The report emphasizes that determining lawful status involves more than just matching entry and exit data; it requires identifying extensions or changes in immigration status to accurately assess whether an individual has overstayed their visa.
This analysis marks an improvement in data reporting methods aimed at better understanding visa compliance trends among foreign nationals entering the United States.