She, therefore, rendered an apology for the long waits encountered by UK visa applicants in recent months, insisting it was due to a number of factors.
These, she said, were due to pressure from the Afghanistan crisis a year ago and the intake of refugees following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Thompson, however, stated that the return of the UK’s priority service means visa applicants will no longer have to wait for long periods.
“I am really pleased to say the priority visa service is back in Ghana and that is across all of the categories,” she said in a yet-to-air interview on JoyNews’ The Probe.
“…the waiting times are coming down, I am sorry about the length of time that has been taken to the UK recently.”
She added: “But I want to make sure people know that they can apply for their visa up to three months before they expect to travel.
“And the visa will then start from when the travel actually happens so there is no need to leave it until you’ve got your tickets booked.”
In June, it emerged that the US and Canadian embassies in Accra are unable to accept new applicants for interviews until April or May 2025.
The aforementioned embassies said if one applies for a US or Canadian visa in Accra, the earliest time they will be booked for an interview will be in April or May of 2025.
This led to some Ghanaians petitioning the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration for intervention after expressing their disappointment over the matter.
