Josephine, a Ghanaian living in Indiana, USA, was a guest on SVTV Africa’s Daily Hustle Worldwide show with DJ Nyaami. She shared her long and difficult journey navigating life in the U.S. as an immigrant, the challenges she faced securing proper documentation, and her concerns about recent immigration crackdowns.
Josephine first arrived in the U.S. in 2009 on an A1 student exchange visa, later transitioning to a full student visa. Originally from Kumasi, with roots in Techiman Tanoso in the Bono East Region, she studied at Legon with the dream of becoming a pharmacist. Growing up, her family ran a pharmacy, which inspired her career path. Though she initially taught mathematics in Ghana, she pursued science when she moved to America, aiming to shift from math to pharmacy.
Living in the U.S. without proper documentation was tough. She struggled financially, paying her own tuition out of pocket.
“I lived in Chicago before moving to Indiana. It wasn’t easy at all,” she said. Josephine emphasized that someone with proper documents and education could earn more from an 8-hour job than others working double shifts in menial roles.
She also revealed that her mother lives in the U.S. but cannot return to Ghana now, as she’s still working toward qualifying for Social Security benefits.
“She needs to work for at least 10 years before she qualifies for social security,” Josephine explained.
Now a licensed pharmacist, Josephine is focused on her future.
“In the next two or three years, I can retire and access social security benefits,” she said.
However, she expressed deep frustration with the Ghana Embassy’s recent inefficiencies.
“I applied for my child’s passport, and after waiting a long time, they finally returned it—with someone else’s picture on my child’s passport page,” she said. “My mother had to travel to Ghana, but because the visas delayed, she only left when they finally arrived.”
She criticized the changes made to passport processing under the current administration.
“The previous system where we paid $29.99 for passport return was much faster. But now, since the new minister changed things and shut down the New York office, it’s become nearly impossible to access your passport and visa in time.”
Josephine was also shocked to find that the Ghana Embassy had employed an 80-year-old man as a security guard.
“He struggles to even close the door. It’s appalling,” she said.
She compared Ghana’s outdated systems to more efficient ones in other African countries. “A friend of mine from Kenya applied for her visa online and received it without stress. Ghana is so far behind. Why can’t we implement an e-visa system too?”
She advised that visa-on-arrival works if you’re traveling back home with American-born children, especially when dual citizenship is involved. “I’m currently working on getting Ghanaian passports for my U.S.-born kids so they can travel freely.”
Josephine concluded by urging the Ghanaian government to modernize and improve services, especially for Ghanaians abroad trying to stay connected to their roots.
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