US spouse visa for Ghanaian nationals
What this visa is
The CR-1 and IR-1 immigrant visas allow the husband or wife of a United States citizen to move to the US permanently. The applicant enters as a lawful permanent resident and receives a green card shortly after arrival.
Ghanaian applicants interview at the US Embassy in Accra.
If the couple has been married for less than two years when the applicant enters the US, the visa is a CR-1 with a conditional two year green card. Two years or more and it is an IR-1 with a ten year card.
Who can apply
You can apply if you are legally married to a United States citizen and the marriage is valid where it took place. Ghana recognises three forms of marriage, and each is evidenced differently.
An ordinance marriage is registered under the Marriages Act and produces a marriage certificate from the Registrar General’s Department or the registering district. This is the most straightforward form of evidence.
A customary marriage requires two things together: evidence of the traditional ceremony, including the statutory declaration signed by both families, and registration of that customary marriage with the district assembly. One without the other is regularly refused.
An Islamic marriage is evidenced by the certificate issued under the Marriages Act along with registration.
Whichever applies, the marriage must be monogamous for immigration purposes. A polygamous marriage cannot support a spouse petition.
Who can sponsor
The sponsor must be a United States citizen. Spouses of green card holders apply in the F2A category, which has annual limits and a waiting list.
Financial requirement
The sponsor signs Form I-864, the affidavit of support, which is enforceable against them in court.
Household income must be at least 125 percent of the federal poverty guidelines: $27,050 for a household of two in the contiguous states. Shortfalls can be covered with assets worth three times the gap, or with a joint sponsor. Active duty military sponsors need only 100 percent.
Document scrutiny
Ghanaian cases receive close documentary scrutiny, and consular officers are trained to spot improperly issued civil records. This is not a comment on honest applicants, but it does change how you should prepare.
Get every document from the correct issuing authority rather than through an agent. Do not rely on a sworn affidavit where an official record exists, because an affidavit on its own carries little weight. Where a record genuinely cannot be issued, obtain the official confirmation of that and support it with the oldest contemporaneous evidence you have, such as school records, baptismal records or hospital records.
Differences in the spelling of names and in dates of birth across passport, birth record and marriage certificate are the most common cause of delay. Resolve them before the interview rather than trying to explain them at the counter.
Step one: the I-130 petition
Your spouse files Form I-130 with USCIS from the United States, with the marriage certificate and registration evidence, proof of US citizenship, and relationship evidence: photographs across visits, flight records and passport stamps, message and call histories, remittance receipts and evidence of contact with each other’s families.
Once approved, the case transfers to the National Visa Center.
Step two: the National Visa Center
The National Visa Center collects the DS-260 application, fees, the affidavit of support and civil documents. The case only progresses once every document has been accepted.
Step three: the interview in Accra
Interviews take place at the US Embassy in Accra and are conducted in English. Applicants from Kumasi, Tamale and elsewhere travel to Accra for the appointment.
Bring original documents even where scans were uploaded, and expect detailed questions about how the relationship developed.
Medical examination
You must be examined by a panel physician approved by the embassy before your interview. Approved clinics are in Accra and appointments should be booked well in advance.
The examination covers a physical check, chest x ray, blood tests and required vaccinations, including yellow fever. Bring your vaccination records. Results go directly to the embassy.
Police certificates and civil documents
You need a police certificate issued by the Ghana Police Service through its Criminal Investigation Department in Accra. Certificates issued by a local station are not accepted.
Birth records should come from the Births and Deaths Registry. Where no birth was registered at the time, obtain the official position from the registry and support it with the oldest records available.
If you have lived in another country for twelve months or more since turning 16, you need a police certificate from that country as well.
Documents needed
- Valid Ghanaian passport
- Marriage certificate, with district assembly registration evidence for a customary marriage
- Statutory declaration of customary marriage signed by both families, where applicable
- Birth certificate from the Births and Deaths Registry
- Divorce documentation or death certificate for any previous marriage
- Police certificate from the Ghana Police Service CID, Accra
- Court and prison records if ever arrested or convicted
- Sponsor’s proof of US citizenship
- Sponsor’s federal tax return, W-2 forms and recent pay stubs
- Completed Form I-864 with supporting evidence
- Medical examination results from an approved panel physician
- Two US visa format photographs
- Comprehensive relationship evidence covering the whole relationship
Costs
- Form I-130: $625 online, $675 on paper
- Immigrant visa application fee (DS-260): $325
- Affidavit of support review fee: $120
- Medical examination in Accra: typically $250 to $400
- Police certificate and civil documents: local fees
- USCIS Immigrant Fee after the visa is issued: $235
Verify current amounts on the USCIS and Department of State websites before paying.
Processing times
The I-130 stage at USCIS commonly runs from several months to well over a year. The National Visa Center stage depends on how quickly your documents are accepted, and Ghanaian cases more often attract requests for further evidence.
Plan for eighteen months or more, and longer if documents have to be corrected or reissued.
After approval: what comes next
Your passport is returned with the visa and a sealed packet that must not be opened. Travel before the visa expires, normally within six months of the medical examination.
Pay the $235 USCIS Immigrant Fee online before you fly so that your green card is produced. You can work immediately on arrival and can apply for a Social Security number.
If you hold a CR-1, you and your spouse jointly file Form I-751 in the ninety days before the two year card expires.
FAQs
We had a traditional ceremony. Is that a valid marriage?
It can be, but only if the customary marriage was registered with the district assembly and you can produce both the statutory declaration and the registration. A ceremony with no registration is very difficult to prove.
Can I use a sworn affidavit instead of a birth certificate?
Only where the Births and Deaths Registry genuinely cannot produce a record, and even then it needs supporting evidence. An affidavit alone is not accepted.
Which police certificate is acceptable?
The one issued by the Ghana Police Service Criminal Investigation Department in Accra. Local station letters are not accepted.
My name is spelled differently across my documents. Is that a problem?
It is one of the most common causes of delay. Correct the records where you can, and where you cannot, bring every document showing both versions along with an explanation.
My spouse does not earn enough. What can we do?
Use a joint sponsor who is a US citizen or permanent resident living in the United States, or rely on qualifying assets.
Can my children come with me?
Not automatically. Your spouse files a separate I-130 for each child, and the stepchild relationship must have been created before the child turned 18.