Twenty seven Chinese nationals, three of them females, whose ages ranged between 20 and 57, were denied entry into Ghana last Tuesday because they bore fictitious entry documents.
Shortly upon arrival vigilant officials of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) found out their entry documents were faked.
According to the Head of the Public Relations Department of the GIS, ACOI Francis Palmdeti, the 27 persons were denied entry through the Kotoka International Airport �for possessing fake emergency entry visas� and subsequently deported.
Three of them he pointed out in a statement �arrived on Emirate Airlines and were removed immediately in accordance with the law.�
The remaining 24 who arrived on Ethiopian Airlines were detained at the GIS Headquarters because their visas were not genuine. When this was detected their flight had already taken off.
They claimed to have come to Ghana to attend business meetings and engage in construction. The GIS statement added that �most of them are from the Guangxi Province whilst a few others are from Henan, Fujian, Guangdong and Zhejiang Provinces in China.�
The GIS has intensified its activities at the points of entry since January resulting in the denial of entry of 65 foreigners bearing fake entry documents.
The breakdown of the affected foreigners is Chinese-50, Americans-3, Turkish-3, Germans-3, Pakistanis-2, Vietnamese-1, Namibian-1, Philipino-1, Nigerian expired passport-1 and Yemenese-1.
The GIS has observed an increase in the incidence of fake Ghanaian entry visas especially among the Chinese, at the Kotoka International Airport; a phenomenon they attributed to the strict regime put in place to stop the entry into the country of undesirable persons.
The Service has observed an increase in the number of fake visas being presented at the Kotoka International Airport [KIA] with most of the culprits being Chinese nationals; a phenomenon they attributed to the strict visa processing regime applicable in our foreign missions to stop the entry of undesirable persons.
�We therefore wish to advise prospective travellers to directly contact the Ghana Immigration Service or Ghana missions abroad for any advice regarding the issuance of visas. The use of middlemen is a risk which could be very costly, since the GIS would not relent on its duty to repatriate all foreigners who appear at its borders without meeting the conditions of entry,� ACOI Francis Palmdeti�s advised in the statement.
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