Open Letter To US Embassy

CHARLES AYUUNE AKURUGU

P. O. BOX TL2829

TAMALE

THE OFFICER IN CHARGE

EMBASSY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

ACCRA, GHANA

Dear Sir/Madam,

RE: TRANSIT VISA

On 30^th September, 2015, I applied for a transit visa (C1) to travel through the US to the Dominican Republic to attend a Low Emission Development Strategies Global Partnership (LEDSGP) workshop scheduled for 14^th – 16^th October, 2015. I have been a member of the partnership since 2013 and this was the 3^rd in the series of the annual workshops I was billed to attend. I attended the interview on 1^st October, 2015 and was denied and rightly so because I think I took things for granted and did not present the right documents for the visa.

I was handed an unsigned letter that explained the reasons for the denial. I was satisfied and even went further to query myself for being that naive. This letter truly explained to me what I needed to do or present to qualify for the transit visa. The reason for the denial as contained in the letter was that: “You have not demonstrated that you have the ties that will compel you to return to your home country after you travel to the United States”. Everything in that letter kept talking about me going to the United States. Point of correction, I was not traveling to the United States.

I was travelling to the Dominican Republic through the United States. I forgive your Consular Officer for his ignorance because he has been trained to be mechanical in his thinking and thus behave like a programmed machine. It is also because the black man or African has been taken for granted by you people for all this while and I admonish you to revise your books because there are new and rising Africans who would not accept this kind of disdain treatment.

The content of letter tells me more about how you people think about us and why your officers are always in a rush to issue it to people without due diligence. It is purely economic and based on pure prejudice. You want to be paid. I am happy I contributed to your pay check and this should also tell you that I am not in need as you always think.

I was determined to be part of this workshop because of my passion for climate change issues and knowing quite well that I had what you required for the transit visa, I decided to reapply because the explanatory letter said I cannot appeal the decision but can only reapply. So I started that evening again and completed the D-160 form. The next day I went to the nearest Ecobank branch and paid my visa fee of Six hundred and forty Ghana (GH₵640.00) again which is the equivalence of One hundred and Sixty US dollars (US$160.00) according to the US Embassy in Accra. That was a risk because by then I did not know the earliest appointment that will be available to me but I had to take it. I waited patiently for a suitable appointment because by the time I went in to book for my interview, the earliest appointment available was 13^th October, 2015 and I had to leave Ghana on 12^th October, 2015 for the workshop. I kept monitoring and fortunately one vacancy became available on 5^th October, 2015 and I quickly booked. This date also meant I had to stress myself to be able to be part of the inauguration of District Assemblies which took place on the 6^th October, 2015 nationwide.

So in the morning of 5^th October, 2015 I had to find money to fly to Accra very hopeful that this time I am well prepared and the documents I am presenting will tell the Consular Offcier that I do not have intentions to leave Ghana for any other country. My appointment was at 1:30 pm so by 1:20pm I was at the US Embassy in Accra and as usual the queue was long. I went through all the formalities and finally had my time with the Consular Officer. While I was in the queue waiting for my turn I recognised the officer who denied me the visa the first time and prayed I met him again because of two reasons:

1. He is already familiar with my first application and would this time look at it differently with the overwhelming supporting documents that I had gathered.
2. I also realised that he seems to have the final say because in all the two occasions I have been there I have seen the other guy always confer with him. I said to myself either he is new there or a junior officer to the one who denied me the visa earlier.

Unfortunately, my prayer didn’t work. I met the one I thought was inexperienced or junior officer. To be honest, he was the nicest between the two in terms of his greetings and the smile on his face. The documents I took with me are listed below:

1. My invitation letter for the workshop as a sponsored participant
2. Visa waiver from the Dominican Republic
3. E-ticket Itinerary Receipt (Route: Accra – Washington – Orlando – Punta Cana and Punta Cana – Orlando – Washington - Accra)
4. Letter of Introduction from my office
5. Permission granted by my office to attend the workshop
6. My two (2) boys birth certificates (Original and Photocopy)
7. My own birth certificate (Original and Photocopy)
8. My personal Car documents (Original and Photocopy)
9. Documents for a land I bought in Tamale (Original and Photocopy)
10. Letter of Appointment into the Civil Service (Original and Photocopy)
11. Pay slip (Original and Photocopy)
12. Passport and their own documents I printed including receipt of the payment.

People who have not been to your office for visa before would ask, why all these documents? The letter that was given to me to explain why I was denied stated and I quote “While nonimmigrant visa classifications each have their unique requirements, one requirement shared by many of the nonimmigrant visa categories is for the applicant to demonstrate that he/she has a residence in a foreign country which he/she has no intention of abandoning. Applicants usually meet this requirement by demonstrating that they have strong ties oversees that indicate they will return to a foreign country after a temporary visit to the United States. Such ties include professional, work, school, family, or social links to a foreign country”.

What did the Consular Officer look at? My passport, the receipt to ensure that I have paid and the two confirmation pages you are expected to go along with. I gave him my itinerary and letter of introduction including the permission I have taken for my travel. It is insightful to note that he did not ask for them I gave it to him. He quickly glanced through and went to his computer. I told him I had more documents for him to prove my case, he replied it is ok. He asked since 1^st October, 2015 how has my situation changed? I replied, the letter that was given me says I could not provide sufficient evidence to show my ties in Ghana to convince you that I will come back home so I brought all these documents to show I have no intentions of abandoning Ghana. Then he asked again, why through US and not other countries. I explained that two reasons. One is that, I needed a multiple entry Schengen Visa to go through Europe because I will be passing through two countries and I am told it takes at least two weeks to process if you apply and the second reason was also cost. It takes only about 2000 US dollars to go through US and over 3000 US dollars to go through Europe.

Then came the bombshell. “I have reviewed all your documents and sorry I cannot grant you the transit visa. This letter will explain to you the reasons for my decision”. I looked at the letter and it was same letter I was given earlier with same reasons. I inquired what it is this time because this is same letter that was given to me the other day. He could not answer but to only say, sorry but “my decision is final”. I did not hide my intentions. I told him thank you but I will react to this appropriately and left. This sounded to me like a programmed human being whose intelligence did not much that of today’s smart phone. For your information, my other colleague who was denied the transit visa the first time with me will be going for the workshop through Europe and his flight cost is over 4,000 US Dollars.

This smacks of prejudice and I thought I had the obligation to add my voice to that of Dr. Agbeko Ocloo because when I read his letter I was full of praise for him. I never imagined that after his experience same treatment would be meted out to someone again. Yes, you can deny me a visa; I have no qualms about that but give me a better reason. We as a people would have to rise up and tell you people that there are new crop of Ghanaians and for that matter Africans who are proud of themselves and their countries and will not leave it for any mechanical society like yours. Maybe, you should consider heeding to the call by President Barack Obama on gun control laws and maybe, just maybe I might consider relocating the United States but for now, I want to assure you that, leaving Ghana for US is never part of my agenda. I wished I knew a better word than racism, I would have used it. I am even beginning to think that the Economic crises is hitting your country so hard that you are now using your Embassies abroad to bail yourselves instead of coming out like Greece for us to support you.

I must say that I am deeply disappointed in your office not because I have been denied a transit visa but because of the credentials and the democratic values that the United States of America holds and propagates around world. As I said earlier, I have forgiven the second Consular Officer for his ignorance and inappropriate use of discretion. But I wish to also tell him that he has not been sincere to me at all. The first Consular Officer was and I respect that. This is just the first part of my reaction to this decision from your office. As you will see in the coming days, I have other very important assignments that borders on the well-being of my beloved country Ghana and I am hard pressed for time. I didn’t even have time to go through this write up properly. I will surely be back after I get the time to study your Immigrant and Nationality Act of 1952.

Sincerely,

Charles A. Akurugu

(Assistant Director, Kumbungu District)

[email protected]