THE OPERATIONS OF THE GHANA IMMIGRATION SERVICE

BY L.O AFFRIFAHHEAD, ENFORCEMENT AND INTELLIGENCE BUREAU

GHANA IMMIGRATION SERVICE

WORKSHOP ON “REPORTING ON MIGRATION IN WEST AFRICA: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES” FOR MEDIA PERSONS.

VENUE:CENTRE FOR MIGRATION STUDIES. UNIVERSITY OF GHANA

3RD OCTOBER, 2014

FUNCTIONS

• Examination of persons leaving and entering Ghana

• Issuing of visas

• Processing and issuance of work and residence permits

• Monitoring of activities of foreign nationals in Ghana

• Investigation of breaches of Immigration laws and regulations

• Prosecution of breaches of laws and breaches

• Patrolling of the country’s borders

FUNCTIONS• Contributing to national security by collaborating

with both local and international security

• Assisting in the management of refugees

• Promoting economic development- foreign investment and tourism

UNDERLYING PRINCIPLES OF IMMIGRATION CONTROL

•NATIONAL SECURITY

• PUBLIC SAFEFTY

•PUBLIC HEALTH

•JOBS PROTECTION

REGULATORY FRAMEWORK

• The Immigration Service Act is the establishing act that set out the structure and functions of the Service.

• The Immigration Act is the operational act that sets out the details of the functions to be performed

• The Immigration Regulations detail how the functions are to be carried out

• The Citizenship Act and Citizenship Regulations

REGULATORY FRAMEWORK

• Anti Human Trafficking Act, 2005, Act 954

• The Refugee Act

• Anti- Money Laundering Act,

• Foreign Exchange Act,2006, Act 723

• Ghana Investment Promotion Centre Act

• Free Zone Board Act

ENTRY AND EXIT CONTROL

• This is performed at designated entry/exit points

• Examination of passports, travel documents, identity documents, visa etc

• Checking for prohibited immigrants, wanted persons by local security agencies, international criminals

• Recording and storing data on persons entering and leaving Ghana

• It operates 48 land border posts, 1 international airport, 2 seaports, 3 inland borders

GHANA’S BORDERS

•Total land mass of 239,460 sq kilometres

•Total land border stretch of 2,093 kilometres

•Bounded by:

-Togo on the east – 877 kilometres

-La Cote D’Ivoire on the west- 668 kilometres

-Burkina Faso on the north – 548 kilometres

-Bounded on the south by the Atlantic Ocean (Gulf of Guinea) – 537 kilometres

• Varied vegetation of dense forests in the southern parts of the eastern and western borders and low Savanna on the northern borders.

•Some parts of the western borders lined by rivers including the black Volta and Ankobra rivers.

•Porous land borders

•Many ethnic groups sitting astride all the borders

BORDER PATROL

• The Border Patrol Unit patrols the borders

• Specially trained Para- military Unit

• Established in 2006

• Foot and vehicular patrols

• To prevent illegal crossings, smuggling and other cross border crimes

RECORDED MOVEMENTS IN AND OUT OF GHANA

ARRIVALS DEPARTURES

2009 667,275 688,820

2010 746,527 765,655

2011 609,020 637,215

2012 827,501 847,877

2013 869,603 895,802

MIGRATION CONTROL CHALLENGES

• Migrant smuggling

• Document Fraud (travel and related documents)

• Human trafficking

• Refugee management

• Foreigners in illegal mining

MIGRANT SMUGGLING

• Ghana a country of origin, transit and receiving in the migrant smuggling

• Major destinations are Europe, USA, Canada

• Smuggling by land through- Burkina Faso- Mali- Niger- Libya, Morocco, Egypt, Israel

- Burkina Faso- Gambia, Senegal, Mauritania- North Africa- Europe

• Smuggling by air by diverse routes:- Directly to Europe from the Kotoka International airport.

- Far East Asia (Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan) – Dubai- Addis Ababa, Nairobi- Ghana- Europe, USA, Canada, South Africa

- Middle East (Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Iraq)- Ghana- Europe, USA, Canada

DEPORTATION OF GHANAIANS FROM ABROAD

YEAR NUMBER REMARKS

2009 928 Increased deportations from Israel, Italy, South Africa, Canada, Spain

2010 853

2011 1127

2012 1196

2013 3080 1895 deported from Libya.Increased deportations from UK, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Turkey, Malaysia and South Africa.

2014 (1st

Quarter)1082 712 deported from Libya.

Increased deportations from Saudi Arabia

TOTAL 8258

INADMISSIBLE GHANAIANS

YEAR NUMBER

2009 960

2010 540

2011 842

2012 735

2013 676

2014(jan-march)

280

TOTAL 4033

MIGRANT SMUGGLING TO AND THROUGH GHANA

NATIONALITIES TYPES OFDOCUMENTS

AGE RANGE SEX DESTINATION

ECOWASnationalsBANGLADESHISSRI LANKANSINDIANSPAKISTANISLEBANESEPALISTINIANSIRAQISAFGHANSSYRIANS

E.U Passports

National passports with fake visas

Canadian

16 – 45 years Mostly male •Bangladeshis and Sri Lankans prefer Canada, South Africa •New pattern of Sri Lankans and Bangladeshis using Indian passports and travelling to South Africa•Middle East nationals prefer Europe mostly Germany, Sweden

HUMAN TRAFFICKINGNATIONALITY AGE RANGE DESTINATION TYPE OF

EXPLOITATION

GhanaiansECOWAS nationals mostly Nigerians, Togolese, Beninois.Malian and NigeriennechildrenChineseVietnamese

6 – 45 years •Ghana, Nigeria, La Cote D’Ivoire, Gabon.• Ghanaian girls to Lebanon, Qatar, Kuwait, North African Countries •Asian girls to Ghana•Malian and Nigeriennechildren to Ghana

•Women in prostitution•Malian and Nigeriennechildren in labour(selling)

STOW AWAYS

YEAR NUMBER • Most intercepted in La Cote D’Ivoire, Senegal and South Africa

• These are recorded figures from the international airport

2012 186

2013 165

2014(JAN-MAR) 27

TOTAL 378

WORK AND RESIDENCE PERMIT ADMINISTRATION

• The Service ensures that non Ghanaians comply with work and residence permit requirements

• Work permit and quota requirements set out in the Immigration Act, GIPC Act, Free Zone Board Act and Acts of the Minerals and Petroleum Commissions

• Major considerations are protection of jobs for Ghanaians, importation of unavailable specialized skills, size of investment, critical area of the economy

• Students, visitors, persons in transit, prohibited immigrants, tourists may not be issued with work permits

• Residence issued to principals who are investors, employees who have obtained the relevant work permits and immigrant quotas, their dependents, students, diplomats etc

PERSONS ARRESTED FOR IMMIGRATION OFFENCES (2013)

NATIONALITY NUMBER OFFENCES REMARKS

GHANAIANS 65 •Illegal stay•Illegal employment•Possession of forged travel documents• Possession of forged immigration permits•Illegal mining

• Many Sri Lankans and Bangladeshis being smuggled to Europe, North America etc•Many Guineans arrested for engaging in illegal small scale mining•884 Chinese arrested and deported for engaging in illegal small scale mining and possession of forged immigration permits.

ECOWAS 265

OTHERS 951

TOTAL 1281

GIS AND NATIONAL SECURITY

• The Service patrols the country’s borders and prevents illegal entries and breaches

• The Service feeds into the National anti terrorism strategy

• It provides information on drug traffickers to the Narcotics Control Board and collaborates in apprehension of drug traffickers

• The Service assists in combatting money laundering by collaborating with Financial Intelligence Centre and enforcing the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Act that.

• The Service collaborates with the Police and other agencies in apprehension of wanted persons/criminals attempting to flee from or entering

GIS AND EPIDEMIC CONTROL

SECTION 8 OF THE IMMIGRATION ACT

PROHIBITED IMMIGRANT

(1) A Person other than a citizen of Ghana is a prohibited immigrant for the purposes of this Act if that person:

(c) refuses to submit to a medical examination after being required to do so by a health officer

(e) has been certified by a health officer to be medically unfit to enter Ghana

• GIS cooperates with health authorities to monitor travellers at entry points

• Power to refuse entry to prohibited persons

• Monitors international events and provides intelligence

•THANK YOU!