Immigration Service to conduct mandatory medical exam for foreigners seeking work permit

The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has indicated it will commence an enhanced mandatory medical examination for all foreign nationals seeking to work and resident in the country.

The directive, which takes effect from June 15 of this year, include testing for COVID-19 and will cover other permits such as Indefinite Residence, Right of Abode and Naturalization, as well as renewal of other Residence permits.

This becomes an add-on to the already existing medical examination undertaken by the Service as one of the requirements for acquiring Work and Residence permits by a foreign national.

According to the GIS, the enhanced mandatory medical examination is not only to help streamline and regulate the issuance of Work, Residence and other permits in the country, but to also safeguard public health and security as directed by the Immigration Act of 2000, ACT 573.

Additionally, the directive will help obtain information on the health status of immigrants and its consequence on the country’s public health.

That aside, it will also assist the immigrants to know their [immigrants] health status for the service to take appropriate steps to seek medical intervention or otherwise observe precautionary for a specific disease,” the service noted.

The official fee for medical examinations such as a one-year residence permit for a new applicant, a four-to-five-year renewal of residence permit,  Indefinite residence permit and Right of abode for other African descents in the diaspora is GHC1,100, while a one-to-three year renewal of Resident permit is GHC600.

All medical examination for the permits would be done at the GIS clinic located at its national headquarters in Accra.