Ghanaian applicants secured 499 H-1B Visas in FY 2024, with April 2024 as the peak month

Key Takeaways

  • Ghana secured 499 H-1B visa approvals in FY 2024, averaging about 42 per month.
  • April 2024 was the highest month with 80 visas, while September 2024 dropped sharply to just 16.
  • Visa issuances were relatively steady until early 2024, before a mid-year surge and late-year decline.
  • Ghana ranks second in Africa for H-1B visas, behind Nigeria, reflecting its growing pool of skilled professionals abroad.

Ghana’s H-1B visa issuances in FY 2024 reveal steady growth punctuated by sharp swings. Out of 499 total approvals, April 2024 emerged as the peak month with 80, marking a significant surge compared to earlier months. However, this momentum slowed dramatically by September, when approvals plunged to just 16. Averaging 42 approvals monthly, Ghana remains the second-largest African contributor of skilled talent to the U.S. through the H-1B programme. While the numbers are small compared to global giants like India and China, Ghana’s consistent presence underscores the country’s expanding footprint in the global labor market for specialised skills.

Source:

US Department of State

Period:

Fiscal year 2024
HTML code to embed chart
Want a bespoke report?
Reach out
Click to copy HTML embed code
Tags
Related Insights
Nigerian postgraduate enrolment in the UK went from 8,170 to 62,630 in three years, then lost 53% of that peak in two
  • Postgraduate enrolment fell by 19,540 in one year, accounting for 96% of Nigeria’s total decline.
  • Nigerian postgraduate enrolment remained 3.6 times its 2019/20 level despite the recent decline.
  • Nigeria fell from third to fourth among the UK’s largest sources of international students.
  • Nepal nearly doubled its enrolment to 24,435, moving from eighth to fifth.
US non-immigrant visas to Africa: issuances fell across Africa’s top 10, with Tunisia the exception
  • South Africa overtook Nigeria as Africa’s largest source of US non-immigrant visa issuances in 2025, with 62,647 visas.
  • Nigeria’s issuances fell 46.1% to 48,669, down from 90,344 in 2024.
  • US non-immigrant visa issuances to African nationals fell 32.9%, from 539,800 to 362,431.
  • Only three African nationalities recorded increases: Tunisia (+12.5%), Guinea (+12.0%) and Eswatini (+3.2%).
Every region saw B1/B2 visa issuances drop in 2025 — Africa's decline was the steepest of all
  • Africa’s US visa issuances fell 37% in 2025, from 401.8k to 253.2k.
  • Egypt and Nigeria accounted for more than half of Africa’s 148.6k decline.
  • B1/B2 visas accounted for 84% of Africa’s overall decline in issuances.
  • Africa’s decline was significantly steeper than the 20.5% drop recorded in Europe.
These four countries have led African enrolment in US higher education since 2008/09 academic session
  • Ghana recorded the most striking recent growth, reaching 12,825 students in 2024/25.
  • Nigeria remained Africa’s leader with 21,847 students.
  • Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and Egypt have held the top four positions since 2008/09.
  • Their combined share of African enrolment increased from 46.1% to 60.7%.
  • Africa had 73,406 students enrolled in US higher education in 2024/25.
Nearly 89% of UK Study Visa decisions for Africans were approved, compared with 67% for visitor visas
  • The UK made 672,400 visa decisions involving African applicants in 2025.
  • Visitor visas dominated the decisions, accounting for 521,400, or about 78% of the total.
  • Study visas had the highest issue rate, with 88.5% of decisions resulting in issued visas.
  • Visitor visas had a much lower issue rate at 66.5%, despite having the largest decision volume.
  • Work visa decisions had a 71.6% issue rate, below the global work visa average of 86.5%.
  • Other visa routes had the lowest issue rate, with only 53.4% of decisions resulting in issued visas.
Nigerians have spent an estimated $193 million on U.S. visitor visa application fees since 2018
  • Estimated visitor visa fee spending reached $193 million between FY 2018 and FY 2025.
  • Applicants paid the fee whether their visas were approved or refused.
  • Estimated spending peaked at $49.8 million in FY 2018.
  • Spending recovered to $25.1 million in FY 2024 before falling to $23.2 million in FY 2025.
  • The estimates exclude transport, documents, agents, accommodation and other related costs.
POPULAR TOPICS
SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
Get periodic updates about the African startup space, access to our reports, among others.
Subscribe Here
Subscription Form
A product of Techpoint Africa. All rights reserved