Medical certificates from Ghana now required for work and residence permits

IMPACT – MEDIUM

What is the change? The Ghana Immigration Service is now requiring that all applicants for work and residence permits must undergo a medical exam at the GIS medical facility in Ghana.  

What does the change mean? Beginning Feb. 15, all new work and residence permit applicants must appear at the GIS medical facility headquarters in Ghana to obtain a medical clearance certificate.

• Implementation time frame: Feb. 15.
• Visas/permits affected: Work and residence permits.
• Who is affected: All applicants for work and residence permits.
• Impact on processing times: It is unclear how long the exams will take, but there are likely to be logistical challenges for the single GIS facility to conduct all of the exams.
• Business impact: The new requirement will add another step to the application process, and businesses should factor in the additional time when planning start dates.

Background: GIS posted a public notice of the new requirement this week, stating that the new policy would safeguard public health and security. The medical certificate will be required of all new applicants for work and residence permits as of Feb. 15, but authorities did not specify which exams will be performed. Under current policy, medical clearance certificates are mandatory for work and residence applicants, but may be obtained outside Ghana as well as within it.

BAL Analysis: The public notice was issued without warning and raises many questions about how the exams will be implemented. and how they might affect application processing times. Meanwhile, applicants should anticipate that they will need to obtain the medical certificate in Ghana. BAL will report on additional details as they become available.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group and our network provider located in Ghana. For additional information, please contact your BAL attorney.

Copyright © 2018 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries please contact copyright@bal.com.